When They First Met
by JuliaB
Summary: What if Tony and Kate had met two years before Yankee White, when Tony just started at NCIS and Kate was still with the Secret Service? Mutual attraction? Or just two strangers in a big city?
1. One Morning

Title: **When they first met**

Summary: What if Tony and Kate had met two years before Yankee White, when Tony just started at NCIS and Kate was still with the Secret Service? Mutual attraction? Or just two strangers in a big city?

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of NCIS

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**Chapter 1**

Secret Service agent Kate Todd had had a pretty good start of the day. It was Friday and she didn't have to go to work until midday, so she had slept till eight and had actually spent an hour with her first cup of coffee and the morning paper which she hardly ever had time for. Then she had gone for a run, had returned home for a shower and decided that it would be nice to have breakfast at her favorite Starbuck's just around the corner.

Now she was standing in the queue and had just decided that today she was feeling crazy enough to have a donut with her coffee. The queue was moving very slowly and Kate spent ten minutes waiting until she reached the counter. Finally it was her turn and she opened her mouth to order her coffee, when a young man stepped up to the counter next to her and cheerfully ordered a double vanilla latte without taking any notice of Kate. While the employee who had wanted to take her order now started to prepare the guy's coffee, Kate glared angrily at the man. He was in his late twenties, with short dark blond hair and blue eyes. He was quite handsome, actually, but Kate was easily annoyed by people who jumped queues and didn't feel like acknowledging the guy's good looks.

The guy was drumming a complicated rhythm on the counter with his fingers while waiting for his coffee. When he turned his head slightly he seemed to notice that someone was staring at him and turned around to face Kate. Kate could see that he was checking her out from head to toe. She wasn't sure whether he decided that he liked what he saw, but he flashed her a charming grin anyway. When Kate didn't react and only continued glaring at him, he finally got the hint.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was it your turn?" he asked, looking slightly embarrassed. "I haven't seen you. I'm really sorry."

"No problem", Kate muttered. She was not interested in starting a conversation now.

"No, it is a problem", he said, smiling again. "It was very rude of me. Will you let me make up for it?" At that moment, the young boy behind the counter placed the coffee in front of the man, who signaled him to wait. "May I order for you?" he asked Kate. "I'd like to invite you."

"I can pay for my coffee myself, thank you", Kate said, trying not to sound too rude. She even smiled faintly at him, then turned towards the counter and ordered her coffee and the donut. She didn't pay any more attention to the man and had soon forgotten about him.

Two minutes later she carefully maneuvered through the occupied tables toward some free seats in the back. Concentrating on not spilling any coffee and not dropping her donut she approached a table, put her cup and the donut down and sat down on the chair facing the front. She didn't like having the exit in her back, Secret Service training.

Slowly returning to the relaxed, good mood she had been in earlier she sipped her coffee and enjoyed her donut. She watched the people come and go, a thing she liked doing. So many different faces, so many different lives. There were too highly paid lawyers as well as bus drivers or young mothers, some of them stressed, some cheerful …

"Hi again!"

Kate almost jumped out of her skin at hearing a stranger's voice so close to her left ear and unconsciously reached for her gun in the holster – which she wasn't wearing. The gun was in her purse. The guy was really lucky.

Turning around slowly she looked at the disturbance sitting at the table next to her with a newspaper folded in front of him. It was the guy who had offered to pay for her coffee. He must have been sitting there all the time and she hadn't even noticed. That had been stupid. Now he must be thinking that she had chosen the seat next to his on purpose.

"Hi", she said with very little enthusiasm.

"Oh-oh", he sighed. "Are you still annoyed with me?" He gave her a look that was a very good imitation of a beaten puppy looking up at its master.

Kate had to smile against her will and relaxed a bit. "No", she said. "You didn't do it on purpose."

The guy grinned at her. He looked like a very young boy doing that. Kate found it very charming.

"You come here often?" the guy asked.

"Sometimes", she said. "It's a nice place."

He nodded, then held out his right hand to her. "I'm Tony, by the way."

"Kate", she said, taking his hand. He had a firm, warm handshake. And beautiful hands.

With one hand she threw her dark hair back over her shoulder. It had grown long in the past months. She had planned on having it cut, but now that she saw that Tony was watching the movement of her long hair in fascination she was glad she hadn't.

"You have the day off?" Tony asked. "A prolonged weekend?"

"No, unfortunately not. But I don't start before noon today. What about you?"

"I'm on holiday, kind of." He smiled at her, then shrugged. "I used to be a police officer in Baltimore. But I quit last week and on Monday I'm going to start in a new job."

"Really? What kind of job?"

"I'm going to work for the NCIS. That's the Naval …"

"… Criminal Investigative Service", Kate completed. "I know."

Tony's jaw dropped slightly and he gave her an impressed look. "How do you know that? Not many people know what NCIS stands for."

"Being a federal agent myself helps", Kate said. Oh my god! Had she really just said that? She never told people she didn't know about her job, it could get you into a whole lot of trouble – danger even. She had no proof that the guy really was a federal agent. He might just be trying to show off in front of her.

"What agency?" Tony asked.

"Um … uh …" Kate stuttered, fidgeting uncomfortably on her chair.

Tony, sensing her nervousness, bent closer and looked at her from the side. "CIA?" he whispered in a conspirative tone, making Kate laugh.

"Secret Service", she whispered back, bending even closer to him for no reason at all. "But if you tell anyone I fear I will have to shoot you."

"You sure you are allowed to shoot other federal agents?" Tony asked matter-of-factly.

"You aren't a federal agent yet", Kate reminded him.

"So I'll have to watch my back until Monday?"

They both laughed.

Kate took a small bite from her donut and washed it down with some coffee all the while stealing side glances at Tony who was busy with his coffee too.

"You said you used to work in Baltimore. Do you live in Washington now?" Kate asked after some time.

Tony nodded. "I spent the whole last week first packing my stuff in Baltimore and then unpacking it in Washington."

"You like your new apartment?"

"Yeah, it's quite nice. Better than what I had in Baltimore, but payment as a cop isn't so good."

"That's why you decided to join NCIS?"

"No. I just … I wanted something more in my life than patrolling the streets and arresting kids that should be in high school and not selling drugs in some backstreet. The possibility to work for the NCIS came unexpected, but I wanted to do it, so here I am." He raised his hands with his palms turned upwards and shrugged.

Kate smiled at him. She liked what he had just told her about himself. So he was ambitious, but not obsessed with his job. He also seemed to be spontaneous, which she liked on men.

"You know what I'm interested in?" Tony said, turning a little bit more toward her. "How do people react when they find out you're a federal agent? I mean, you obviously felt uncomfortable telling me. What does your boyfriend think about you working for the Secret Service?"

Kate fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. Now, that had been cheap. Checking out whether I'm free, are you? But she decided to have pity on him and answer.

"My last boyfriend didn't like it", she said. "He was a school teacher and a pacifist and he didn't like the idea that his girlfriend was carrying a gun." She shrugged. "Didn't work out. And I'm not seeing anyone right now."

Without showing any direct reaction to her admitting that she was single, Tony picked up on her other statement: "I believe that some men have problems thinking that if they would be robbed in the street they would have to hide behind their girlfriend and not the other way around."

Kate burst out laughing. "I've never heard anyone put it that way", she said. "I like it."

Tony grinned his boyish grin and Kate couldn't believe it when she felt a small tingling sensation inside her stomach. She'd only known this guy for ten minutes! But she definitely liked him. And so she decided to do a very stupid thing.

"What about you?" she asked. "Does your girlfriend brag about you joining a federal agency?"

If Tony noticed the meaning behind her question – and he certainly did – then he didn't show it. He just shook his head and said: "I was in no serious relationship in Baltimore. And I broke up with the girl I went out with because I knew it wouldn't work out when we were living in different cities."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't think it would have worked out even if we had continued living in the same city."

"And your new work place?" Kate asked, trying to change the topic, because she really didn't want to talk about past girl- and boyfriends right now. "Have you already been there?"

"I went there last week for my job interview. I liked the place. It is a whole lot different from the police station in Baltimore."

"Did your new boss do the interview?" Kate asked, and when Tony nodded, she continued: "What's he like?"

"Uh …" Tony was obviously having difficulties finding words to describe the person he had met.

"He made me feel a bit like a suspect in interrogation", he admitted. "But I think he was in a bad mood that day. He seemed very grumpy and he wasn't very polite. Maybe he was having a bad day."

Kate smiled at him and reached for her cup, but she realized that it was empty.

"Would you allow me to buy you another coffee?" Tony asked. "Only if you have some more time, of course."

"Yes", Kate said with only half a second of hesitation. She smiled at Tony. "Yes, please", she repeated, and he picked up both their cups to throw them away and get them a new dose of caffeine.

They stayed in the coffee shop for another hour. Kate couldn't believe it when she looked at her wristwatch and found that it was past eleven.

"Do you have to go?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I have to be at work in an hour and I can't go like this." She pointed to the jeans and white T-shirt she was wearing.

"Not that it was any of my business, but I think you look fantastic", he said with another of his charming smiles.

"Thank you", Kate replied, trying not to blush. "But I think I have to change all the same."

They smiled at each other and the moment of silence between them grew longer and longer.

Finally, Tony was the one to speak first: "I would really like to meet you again. Maybe for another coffee or a drink?"

"That sounds very good", Kate said, showing him her sweetest smile. She reached for a napkin and took a pen out of her purse to write down her number.

Tony's fingers brushed over hers when he took the napkin from her and again, she felt that pleasant tingling inside of her stomach. She took her purse and stood up, turning to face Tony one more time. "I'm going to be out of town until Sunday, from then on you should be able to reach me", she said. "See you." With a smile she turned and walked to the door. There, she looked back at Tony, who was still sitting at the table. He met her gaze and smiled. Smiling back, Kate waved at him, then she left.

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_AN: I'm not yet sure where this story could lead and before I go on I'd like to know if you love, like or hate the idea of this story in general. So please, let me know!!_


	2. Walking Home

**Chapter 2**

On the weekend before Tony started at NCIS he went to several clubs in the city. He met several pretty girls and got several phone numbers. But all of them were thrown unceremoniously in the top drawer of the small cupboard next to the door to his apartment. Only one number, written on a white napkin, stayed on top of the cupboard, directly next to the bowl where he now used to drop his keys. He had put it there on Friday after he had gotten home from the coffee shop and had seen it each time he had entered his apartment since then.

And on Sunday in the early evening it was this number which he picked up, before going to sit on the couch with his cell phone. He started to dial, but then stopped because he didn't know what he was supposed to say. And that was a very strange thing, because normally Tony didn't find it difficult to use the numbers he collected regularly. But this time he knew he had to think this through properly because if he said something stupid or inappropriate, he wouldn't have a chance with Kate.

But why was he so anxious about it? After all she wasn't even his type. She was neither blond nor tall and in addition to that she was smart – which wasn't a bad thing generally, but it used to get in the way when you were planning an adventurous night with a woman. But he could still see over it because she was really pretty – even for a brunette. So it was only natural that he had tried hitting on her.

What was not natural was that he hadn't really been hitting on her. He had hardly used any of his usual cheap moves. And that really was a strange thing if he looked at it more closely. Because he was definitely interested and still he hadn't tried to charm her out of her pants within the first ten minutes. Maybe it was because he had felt that his usual methods wouldn't work with her. So he hadn't bragged, hadn't made cheap compliments – hardly any – and had even caught himself making real conversation. And he really believed that he had made a good impression on her – which he was very proud of.

All these feelings and thoughts were very strange, he was aware of that, and that's why he had wondered several times why he was so much looking forward to calling her. It would be easier not to see her again, because women like her meant trouble.

_And how would you know that? It's not as if you had ever dated one like her!_

_Shut up! I've dated enough women to know which mean trouble and which don't. _

And she meant trouble, definitely. But still he had been looking forward to calling her. Because, deep inside, among the voices that were constantly arguing whether Kate meant trouble or not, there was one voice that said that she probably did mean trouble, but that she was worth every tiny bit of it.

So he called.

It rang seven times and he was already expecting to be sent into voicemail, when she picked up.

"Hello?" He recognized her voice immediately, it was as sexy as he remembered.

"Hi, Kate", he said. "This is Tony. We met at Starbuck's on Friday, do you remember?"

"Oh, Tony, hi! Of course I remember!" He tried to find out if the happiness in her voice was real, but he couldn't tell. It sounded real.

"I'm glad I could reach you. You said you'd be back on Sunday, but I wasn't sure when."

"This is the perfect time to call. I came back from France two hours ago."

"France, wow! Maybe I should rethink joining the NCIS and start at the Secret Service instead."

He heard Kate chuckle softly. "I'm sure with the NCIS you'll do a couple of voyages too."

"Yeah, I guess so. Was the trip okay?"

"It was good. I love France. The flight is long, but in a government jet …"

"I get it", he chuckled. "But listen, … I'm calling because I was hoping you'd agree to meet me again. We already did breakfast, so that leaves lunch, dinner or drinks. But, to be honest, I have no idea when my lunch break is going to be, so …"

"Dinner or drinks on a second meeting?" she asked and he could hear that she was teasing him with her hesitation.

"Well, from what I learned on our first meeting, I'd say that you are an emancipated woman. And I hope that you noticed that I am a gentleman."

"If we don't count the fact that you jumped to the head of the queue."

"We mustn't count that, of course."

They both laughed.

"Listen, uh … I know, going out for dinner or drinks always carries a lot of implications", Tony said. "But what if I promise that, really, all I want is to meet you again and get to know you better? And, after all, I think that if I got out of line you'd know a couple of methods to make me disappear without leaving the slightest trace."

"That's true."

"So you agree?"

"What day were you thinking of?"

"The sooner the better", Tony replied. "Maybe you'd even like to join me for a drink tonight – if you haven't made any plans yet."

"Tomorrow is a work day."

"I know. And it's my first day in a new job. That's another reason why I'd have to behave." Tony knew that he had her. He could hear it in her silence.

"Okay", she finally said. "Let's meet at eight at Donahue's." When Tony agreed she gave him directions and they said goodbye.

Tony arrived at the bar shortly before eight. Rule 1: Always be early because women don't like to wait for their date.

The bar was a nice, but rather quiet place. There was live music, a young man with a guitar whose name Tony had never heard before, but the guy had a good voice and he was singing some good covers. Tony sat down at a table near the bar, facing the entry, because he wanted to see her the moment she came in. He was nervous in a positive kind of way – but that was just normal when you were going to meet an attractive, well, okay, stunningly beautiful woman, wasn't it?

He still wasn't entirely sure what his intentions were. Normally, it wasn't like him to go out with a woman without planning on something to happen. But today he was very sure that he wouldn't be going home with Kate. She wasn't the type who did one-night-stands and Tony knew better than to try something stupid with her. He had been joking earlier when he had said that she must know a lot of ways to get annoying men out of the way, but he didn't doubt that it was true all the same. And there was another thing, even beyond fearing for his health or the safety of some parts of his body that he held very dearly: he wanted to behave. He wanted Kate to have a good opinion of him, wanted to impress her so that she would be looking forward to seeing him again. If he seduced her tonight, or only as much as tried to, he was sure that all his chances with her would be gone.

Then he saw her enter and for a moment he considered himself the world's greatest idiot because in the beginning he had been thinking that she wasn't his type. God! She was wearing dark blue jeans which were tight, but not in a way that made them look two sizes too small. She also wore black high heeled boots and a red sleeveless top with three buttons down the front, the top of which was undone. She was wearing her hair down like on Friday morning and it fell down over her shoulders in an amazing wave of dark locks.

She stopped right behind the entry and looked around the bar, so Tony quickly slid down from his stool and waved with one hand. She spotted him and a stunning smile lit up her features.

"Hi", she said, when she reached him.

"Hi", Tony replied offering her the free stool at the table.

"I'll get us drinks", he said as soon as she was seated. "What would you like?"

"White whine, please."

Tony nodded and stepped over to the bar. Kate watched him with a faint smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't expected him to call her so soon, but was glad he had. She had been thinking of him a lot in the past two days, more than she thought appropriate for someone she had only met once in her life. But now that she had seen him again she remembered all the details she had forgotten. His open smile that made it impossible to believe that he might be hiding something. The way his eyes sparkled when he smiled. His firm and yet soft handshake. The smell of his aftershave. She had remembered pretty well how attractive he was, even though he was even looking better today in his khakis and the long sleeved dark green T-shirt.

He soon returned with a glass of whine for her and a beer for him and sat down opposite her. "Cheers", he said, carefully clicking his bottle against her glass.

"Do you like this place?" Kate asked when she had set her glass down again.

Tony nodded and smiled. "It's … nice", he said and she could sense that he had some other words in mind, too.

"What?" she asked amusedly.

"Nothing, just … it's not a bar that I would pick to go dancing or … meet new people – but it definitely serves our purpose tonight very well", he quickly added, grinning at her.

"I was in no mood for loud music and crowded rooms tonight", Kate said apologetically. "My day started very early."

"No, it was a good choice", Tony hurried to say. "And it's definitely a good thing not to be tempted to get involved in drinking games on the day before starting at NCIS", he added with a grin.

Kate raised an eyebrow. She hadn't taken Tony for a guy who would join drinking games – no matter in what bar he was. Was he a party guy? But she stowed to thought away for later pondering and decided to change the topic.

"Are you nervous because of tomorrow?" Kate asked.

"Uh … no, I'd not call it nervous. Let's say curious."

Kate chuckled. "That's a good attitude", she said.

"I know", he sighed. "I just hope it will help."

"Aw … You are nervous!"

Tony shrugged. "A little bit. Maybe. But all I can do is see how it goes."

"That's true. And I'm sure you'll be fine. After all you got the job among other candidates, which means that you must have impressed your new boss in some way."

"Or he just managed to frighten off all the others", Tony muttered.

Kate, who had heard, sent him an amused look, which Tony answered with a grin.

"What about your apartment?" Kate asked, thinking what they had talked about on Friday. "Have you moved all your stuff by now?"

"Yep. I've completely moved in now. It really was a lot of work. But I found some CDs I had been looking for for ages."

Kate smiled. "When I moved out from my parent's place to go to college I found the wedding dress of my Barbie that I had lost when I was about eight. It was behind the cupboard. Not that I had much use for it then."

"These are the tragedies of childhood", Tony sighed. "I lost my ninja turtles action figure in a park when I was nine. I'm still not completely over it."

"Poor boy", Kate said in mock compassion. She took a sip of wine, before saying: "You know, hearing you talk about your move on Friday made me think about my own plans for a new home."

"You thinking about moving too?"

Kate shrugged half-heartedly. "I still live in the apartment I moved into right after college. It's tiny, but it's mine and it's still the first place I called home after moving out from my parents' place. But I have more money now than I had then and I've been thinking for a while about getting something new."

"What exactly were you thinking of?"

"I'd really like to own a small house. It's a stupid idea, because with my job I never spend a lot of time at home anyway, but … it's this dream that I had ever since I was a child."

"What? White picket fence and a retriever?"

"No", Kate laughed. "That would really be impossible with my job. No, just a house of my own. Own a small piece of this planet, you know?" She sighed. "That sounds childish, doesn't it?"

"Not at all!" Tony said quickly. "I think everybody wants to find a place to call home. And I think that many women still believe that they first need to find a man before they can settle down like that."

"And that would be the right thing to do?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows.

"That's not what I wanted to say", Tony replied quickly. "I said many women still believe it has to be like this. But it's a good thing that some women now think more independently."

"Are you a feminist?" Kate chuckled.

"Are you testing me?" Tony shot back.

They smiled at each other. This was a difficult topic to discuss on a first date, and they soon changed the subject and talked about the guy with the guitar who was singing a Robbie Williams song right now.

"Come on, admit it! You were a Take That fan in college!" Tony teased her.

Kate pulled her tongue at him, but two seconds later she couldn't believe she had really done that. "I used to baby sit a ten year old at the time and _she_ was a Take That fan. So much to that!" she replied sulkily.

Tony grinned at her and she melted immediately, but she didn't let it show.

"Are you keen on finding out about some sins from the past?" she asked. "Then why don't we start with you? I bet you were a frat brother and spent each spring break down in Florida."

Tony's grin fell away immediately and he stared at her with a shocked expression.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked uneasily.

"I don't know how you found that out, but I don't like people spying on me", he said, sounding dead serious. "Did you do a background check on me?"

"What?" Kate asked incredulously. "I was only joking. Tony, I'm sorry, I …" She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Then she saw that he started to grin and she knew he had only been joking.

"Oh, you are so going to get that back!" she threatened. Then she leaned back, cocked her head to one side and looked at him thoughtfully. "I was right, wasn't I? You really were a frat brother!"

Tony shrugged, then nodded. Suddenly he grinned. "Oh, I loved my time at college!" he said dreamily.

Kate chuckled. She really had been joking when she had said that Tony must have been a frat brother. From what she had seen on Friday he just seemed too grown up and too gentlemanly to be one of those frat brothers who never grew up and only could think about parties. Today she had seen a slightly different side of him and now she was really curious to find out more about him. Even if he wasn't exactly the person she had thought in the beginning, he was definitely fun to be with and he brought out a whole new side in her, which she might have found a little bit disturbing, but she actually quite enjoyed it. And she was the last one to reproach anyone for actions that had taken place during the spring break. Not after one particular incident at Panama Beach, including too many drinks and a wet-T-shirt contest … But he didn't need to know about that.

Kate had dated enough doctors, lawyers and artists to know what it was like to be with men who treated you perfectly well and who could give you the life that every woman dreamed of. But she had never known what it was like to be with someone who actually made you enjoy yourself – have fun. Tony was someone like that, she could see that now. Maybe he had held back in the beginning to make a good impression, and she had liked the first impression, but now she found this playful side of him even more attractive. Sure, it was a risk to take, because Kate had absolutely no experience with men like him. It was like standing on the five meter spring-board over a pool and looking down. You know it would probably be fun to jump, but you are also afraid because you might get hurt and it looks so deep and you haven't done it before.

"Hey", Tony said, smirking. "We could ask the guy if he knows any Beach Boys Songs. See if he falls off the stage in shock."

Kate rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smile. And then she decided to just take the plunge.

They didn't stay longer than 11 o'clock, because Tony wanted to be fit for his first day at NCIS and Kate was tired because according to Washington time she had started her day at 3 in the morning.

"Are you going to take a taxi?" Tony asked when they were standing on the sidewalk in front of the bar.

"I only live three blocks from here, so I'm going to walk", Kate said. "And since we met at the Starbuck's around the corner I suppose that you don't live far away either."

"You're right. It took me only ten minutes to get here."

Kate nodded. They were standing close to each other, not close enough to really invade personal space, but close enough to make the other's presence tempting. Especially after one evening of sitting across from each other and looking each other in the eyes and all the time thinking how very attractive you found the person you were with.

"Can I walk you to your door?" Tony asked. "I would feel better if I knew you got home safe."

"May I remind you that you are talking to a woman who is carrying a gun?"

Tony flashed her his irresistible boyish grin. "You don't make it easy for a guy to be a gentleman, do you?"

Kate smiled innocently at him, then she nodded her head in the direction of her apartment building. "Come on", she said. "And I promise, if anyone tries to rob us, I will let you play the hero."

"Thank you so much", Tony said.

They started to walk down the sidewalk in companionable silence. The cool night air was refreshing and cleared their heads. Kate half feared that she would soon realize that everything she had been feeling tonight, her decision to give that thing with Tony a try, had only been due to the cozy atmosphere in that bar. But the realization didn't come. She felt comfortable walking next to him and when her fingers accidentally brushed his, a whole flower field's worth of butterflies started to flutter inside her stomach.

Tony stole side glances at Kate all the time. It was a strange feeling, just walking next to the woman you were dating. Normally he would have already kissed her for the first time back in the bar and now they would be stopping every ten steps, because kissing and walking was difficult to do at the same time. But today he found it difficult to gather enough courage to just take her hand. Her hand had brushed his a few minutes ago and his heart had done an almost painful thump. All the time he was imagining what it would be like to kiss her, and he found that he really liked the feeling of nervous anticipation that he was going through. The last time he had experienced it must have been in junior high!

When he looked at her again from the side, their eyes met. Kate quickly looked away, but one second later she met his gaze again and held it. They started to smile and their hands found each other on their own accord. Tony squeezed Kate's fingers happily and suddenly there was a spring to his steps that hadn't been there before.

But then they had already reached Kate's door and stopped on the sidewalk.

"This is it", Kate said, turning to face Tony. Now they were definitely invading each other's personal space.

Tony smiled down into her pretty face and was rewarded by the stunningly beautiful sight that was her smile.

"Will you call me and tell me about your first day at work?" Kate asked.

He nodded eagerly. "I will. But only if you agree to go to dinner with me next week."

"Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"Is it working?"

"Maybe."

Tony smiled. One of his hands came up and brushed a strand of her out of her face, because that's what he had been longing to do the whole time. She didn't pull back, she just stood there looking up at him with her big brown eyes, looking so beautiful that Tony's hands started to shake. Even years later, the way she looked in that very moment would still be one of his favorite memories.

"I should go up now", she whispered and Tony only nodded. He squeezed her hand one last time, before letting go and watching her turn around. But then she turned back to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, pushed herself up on her toes and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

Then she was gone, leaving Tony standing on the sidewalk with the scent of her perfume still in his nostrils and the sweet taste of her lips on his.


	3. Tony's First Day

_A/N__ 1: I wasn't expecting so many reviews when I first posted this – you are really amazing! I especially love it how some of your reviews comment on certain aspects of the fic, that always gives me so many ideas! So, great thanks to all of you!_

_A/N 2: I have no idea what Gibbs' team looked like before Kate joined. I guess it was only Gibbs and Tony, but in this story I'm adding another agent, because I thought it might be fun – you'll see why! _

_A/N 3 (and then I will be quiet and let you read): There __is__ Tate in this chapter, but not as much as I was planning on putting in, but I promise, there will be a horrendous amount of it in the next chapters!_

**Chapter 3****: Tony's First Day**

Tony DiNozzo stood in the parking lot in front of the NCIS headquarters and looked up at the building in awe. He was still early and didn't have to go up immediately, so he used his spare time to mentally prepare himself for the oncoming day. In his job interview, Special Agent Gibbs had explained to him that with his experience as a cop he wouldn't be an approbatory agent for more than a couple of months, because he didn't have to be taught the basics, just the particular procedures and protocols of NCIS. But still, Tony didn't like the idea of being the newbie.

When Tony had been leaning against the side of his car for almost ten minutes, a very strange sight helped him get out of his thoughtful state. He blinked several times, expecting the sight to vanish, turning out to be a strange daydream. But it didn't.

It was a young woman who was approaching the main entrance. She was wearing black leather shoes with two inch thick soles and white knee-length stockings, a very short checked skirt and a black top that had a huge skull with a snake as a tongue on the front. Around her neck she had a black leather collar with spikes on it. Her black hair was tied up into two pigtails.

Tony couldn't help but stare open-mouthed at the woman, who now entered through the front door as if she owned the place. What was that? Maybe a suspect coming in for interrogation? Or an agent who was undercover at a local goth scene? But no, an undercover agent wouldn't enter through the front door.

Still puzzled, Tony decided that it was now time to go in.

In the entry hall he had to get a visitor's pass to be allowed to go up to the squad room, where he would get his badge.

Stepping out of the elevator, the busy atmosphere of the NCIS squad room enveloped him immediately. He looked around, trying to remember where to go, then set off in what he hoped was the right direction. Yep, there he saw his new boss, sitting behind a desk with four different computer screens, drinking his morning coffee. There was also another agent, a man of about forty years, with dark hair and a grumpy face, who was sitting at the desk next to Gibbs'.

"Good morning", Tony said as politely and self-confidently as he could, when he reached the desks.

Gibbs looked at him for a second as if he was wondering who the hell this might be, then he got up and came around his desk, offering Tony his hand to shake.

"Welcome", he said, managing not to make it sound like a greeting, but like a first warning.

"Thank you", Tony said, shaking his hand and taking the badge Gibbs gave him.

"This is Special Agent Alan Brewster, the other agent on the team", Gibbs explained, pointing at the dark haired man who hardly paid any attention to Tony. He merely nodded at him, before continuing to type away on his computer.

"This is your desk", Gibbs said, nodding his head in the direction of the desk that was standing across from Brewster's. "I'd give you the tour of the office, but it has to wait. We have a new case."

"A case? Oh, great!" Tony said, excited to get started.

Agent Brewster stood up and approached Tony until he was standing so close in front of him that Tony had to fight the urge to step back. The guy was about half a foot taller than him.

"You think it's great that some maniac out there killed a marine, probie?" Brewster asked in a threatening tone.

"Uhm … uh … no, of course not", Tony stuttered. "I was just saying …"

"Save that for later", Gibbs ordered. "Let's go!"

Ten minutes after he had entered the building, Tony found himself back on the road, inside a truck where he was squeezed into the front seat next to Agent Brewster, who really was an intimidating person. The guy was nearly 6' 6 and must weigh about 250 pounds.

"Where're we going?" asked Brewster, who didn't seem to be frightened by Gibbs' driving skills.

"Coast of Virginia. A marine was found dead on the beach. Ducky's already on his way."

Two hours later Tony learned who Ducky was when he was introduced to an elderly English doctor who slipped off the latex gloves he was wearing to shake hands with Tony.

"DiNozzo, DiNozzo …" Dr. Mallard repeated his name several times thoughtfully. "I think I once knew a man called DiNozzo. It must have been in the 1970ies, 1977, I'd say, while I was traveling down the west coast of Italy. Giovanni DiNozzo, yes indeed. He owned a small tavern on the island Elba, famous for its lasagna – and the waitress, young Emilia DiNozzo, an amazingly pretty …"

"Ducky!" Gibbs said impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Jethro. No, I didn't forget that you asked me about the time of death. I'd say this young man died between 6.30 and 7 am this morning."

"COD?"

"I cannot be sure at this point and you know I don't like unfounded assumptions, but I'm pretty sure that this young man's neck was broken."

Gibbs nodded grimly, then barked an order: "Brewster, show DiNozzo how the sketching is done."

"Sketching?" Tony asked, when Gibbs had gone to talk to the young man who had found the body. "Why do we need sketches? We have a camera!"

"A camera doesn't tell you exact distances, probie", Brewster said. "Sketches do. So get out from under my nose and measure those rocks over there!"

* * *

In the afternoon, back at the HQ, Tony met the greatest surprise of the day. Gibbs had sent him down to the lab with a box of probes and the verbal message: "Tell Abby I need this before sundown." So Tony went down to the lab, looking forward to meeting the first female creature of the day.

When he reached the doors to the lab down in the underbasement, he felt the glass of the doors vibrate with the very loud bass rhythm that was beating in the room behind them. At first he wasn't sure if it was music what he was hearing. Maybe there was some kind of acoustic experiment going on.

Then he entered the lab, looked around to find the woman Gibbs had referred to as Abby and suddenly stopped dead. There was the goth he had seen this morning! She was currently performing a strange mixture of dancing, jumping and typing something on the user panel of a giant machine that looked very complicated. Each time her feet connected with the ground after one of her jumps, her right index finger hit another button.

"Hello?" Tony asked, but he couldn't even hear his own voice over the noise. He looked around for the stereo and found it standing on a table near him. Quickly he went over there and turned the volume down.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" the woman shouted immediately, spinning around. "Oh!" she said when she saw Tony. "You're not Gibbs."

"No", Tony said very intelligently. "I'm Tony."

"Oh, you're Gibbs' new probie!" she shrieked. "I forgot!" Within a second she had crossed the distance between them and took Tony's right hand in both of hers, shaking it enthusiastically. "Hi, I'm Abby. This is my lab. Well, technically, it's not mine, because these machines, they cost several hundred thousands of dollars and I couldn't afford a single one of them, but I like to say it's mine, because I'm the only person working down here and nobody else knows how to use the chromatograph, so, I guess, practically speaking, it's mine and … oh, what've you got for me?"

"Huh?" Tony was quite surprised to find that it was now his turn to speak. "Gibbs is sending you that", he said, holding out the box to her. "And he says he needs the results before sunset."

"What?" Abby exclaimed. "Aah, Gibbs! How often do I have to tell you that experiments take time? I work with machines that are the best there are, but they still need time to process the probes I feed them with. They cannot work miracles."

"But I know you can, Abs."

Tony spun around at hearing Gibbs' voice behind him. He was standing in the doorway with a half smile grazing his lips. Wow! Tony hadn't expected to ever see Gibbs smile.

"I forgot to send this down here with DiNozzo", he said, holding up a huge cardboard cup.

"Now, that changes everything", Abby said cheerfully. "With a new Caf-Pow I might have the results ready in time."

"That's my girl", Gibbs said, almost tenderly, and Tony watched how Abby snatched the huge cup out of his hands and sucked on the drinking straw happily.

* * *

By Tuesday evening they had solved the case, but you had to take into account that they hadn't slept during the night from Monday to Tuesday. So when Tony came home from the office he had been on his feet for almost 36 hours and found it extremely difficult to just stand upright on his own two feet.

He slopped down on his couch, kicked off his shoes and closed his eyes in complete exhaustion. He had never before been so tired, ever! All he wanted was a hot shower and his bed.

But still, he had to admit that the last two days had been thrillingly exciting. Gibbs' methods were extraordinary, but his mind was sharp like a blade and when it came to catching the bad guy, there was no rule that could get in his way.

Tony was already half asleep on his couch, memories of the past days circling slowly in his head while tiredness was making his limbs feel heavy. But suddenly the thought came to him that what he would really like now was to call Kate and tell her about NCIS. Within a second a great amount of tiredness was gone and he was already fumbling for his cell phone.

She picked up after the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kate, it's Tony", he said, relaxing back against the cushions. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you!" she said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Fine. But tired. I helped to solve my first case at NCIS today."

"Hey, congratulations! Sounds like you're having fun in your new job."

"Yeah, I am. It's really great."

"I'd love to hear more about it. Maybe over breakfast tomorrow? Do you have time?"

"Yes!" he said, almost too quickly in his opinion. "I mean … I don't have to be at work before nine, so we could meet shortly before eight, what do you say?"

"Sounds good. At our Starbuck's?"

"Yeah."

"Okay … great! See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

He ended the call and then it took him about five minutes to stop smiling like an idiot. "Come on", he said to himself. "It's just breakfast. No big deal."

* * *

At five to eight the next morning, Tony sat at a table at the coffee shop, his coffee and two donuts in front of him, when he saw Kate enter. She was wearing a knee length light blue skirt and a white blouse and Tony's jaw dropped when he noticed that she had amazing legs. He managed to lift his gaze back up to her face before she saw him and when she waved to him, he waved back and was glad that she hadn't caught him staring.

Two minutes later she arrived at his table, where she put down her coffee and a bagel with cream cheese, before stepping around the table to meet Tony, who had politely gotten up – at least he hoped that it looked polite because in reality he just wanted to seize the opportunity to greet her properly, which he did by hugging her shortly and accepting the kiss to his cheek that Kate gave him. Okay, obviously they had made a step back from the goodnight kiss on the lips they had shared on Sunday. He would have to work on that.

"How are you?" he asked when they were both seated.

"I'm great. And I'm glad you called." She smiled at him.

"Hey, I told you I would. But I hope you didn't forget about the condition we agreed on during our last meeting."

"Sorry?" Kate asked and a small vertical line appeared between her eyebrows as she was obviously trying hard to figure out what he was talking about.

Tony grinned. "I said I would call you and tell you about NCIS if you agreed to go to dinner with me this week."

"Ah I remember", Kate said. "So I guess there's no getting around it. I'll have to agree."

"Good", Tony nodded contentedly.

"But first, I want to hear about your job", Kate insisted.

"Okay … but I really hope this isn't some kind of federal agencies competition thing and you are not trying to use me to spy on the NCIS."

"There's no trust in this world anymore", Kate sighed sadly, making Tony laugh.

He started talking about Gibbs and Brewster, but the description might have been a little bit inaccurate – at least, Kate couldn't quite believe that Agent Brewster really had sharp teeth and red glowing eyes. But she liked the description of the ME, Dr. Mallard, who seemed to be a very sophisticated man. And then Tony started talking about Abby, who he introduced by saying: "And then, of course, there's this girl who's running the lab. She's absolutely brilliant and by far the most interesting person in this whole place."

At first, Kate felt a tiny bit jealous because Tony was talking like this about another woman. But then he went on explaining and describing Abby and by the end Kate was laughing and asking more questions about her. A goth in the lab of a federal agency? That was worth knowing more about!

But again, time was passing quickly, too quickly. Kate, who was on a later shift this week, didn't pay much attention to how late it was, but Tony was obviously more afraid of Agent Brewster than he wanted to admit and at a quarter to nine he started fidgeting on his chair.

"Kate, I fear I have to leave soon", he said, looking at her apologetically. "And, by the way, I'm not falling for your evading strategy."

"What are you talking about?" Kate laughed.

"You still haven't told me when you have time to go to dinner with me."

"Oh, that!" She shook her head, laughing. "Uh … let me see. I'm on a later shift this week, but I have Saturday off. What about Saturday?"

"Sounds good", Tony said, standing up and stepping around the table. "I will call you for the details, okay?"

She only nodded, never moving her eyes away from him when he slowly bent down to her and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.

When Tony was walking down the sidewalk, he was smiling at the thought that today he had managed to leave Kate speechless and not the other way round.


	4. First Dinner Date

**Chapter 4: First Dinner Date**

On Saturday evening at half past 6, Tony was standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, making some final adjustments to his appearance. He straightened his dark red tie that went well along with his grey suit and white button down shirt. His hair was neatly in place, he had showered and shaved, had put on a modest amount of after shave and was now ready to go. And it was about time that he left. He had made a reservation for 7 o'clock and had told Kate that he was going to pick her up at 6.40. It was already 6.30 now, but he would be at her place within minutes as soon as he was in his car.

On his way out he picked up the bunch of red roses from the cupboard next to the door. He hoped she liked roses, but they always were a safe bet. While he was waiting for the elevator and then going down to the basement, he was thinking about yesterday when he had called Kate. This time she had greeted him with his name when she had picked up, which meant that by now his number had obviously been added to the register of her phone.

"_Hi, Tony!"__ Kate greeted him. _

"_Hi, Kate! I hope I'm not disturbing you. I know you are on a later shift, so I wasn't sure when to call. Are you still at work?"_

"_Yes, but that's no problem. I'm not very busy right now."_

"_Good. I wanted to ask if you're still on for tomorrow?"_

"_Yes, I am already looking forward to it."_

_Tony grinned. "Me too", he said. "I made a reservation for 7 o'clock, I hope that's okay with you."_

"_That sounds just perfect."_

"_Very well. Then I'll pick you up at twenty to seven."_

"_Okay, I'll be ready. But, Tony?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Could you tell me where __we are__ going? I need to know to choose an appropriate outfit."_

"_I'm sure I'll like whatever you pick", Tony said, smiling to himself._

"_That's sweet, but still I …"_

"_Okay, I know, this kind of thing is important for a woman", Tony gave in. "Do you remember me telling you about Dr. Mallard, our ME? I asked him if he could recommend a restaurant – since I'm new to this city – and he suggested the French Rose. I think, elegant clothing is recommended. Does this help you?"_

"_Yes, that helps a lot", Kate said, and he could hear in her voice that she was excited about his choice of restaurant. Tony of course had looked the restaurant up on the internet when Ducky had given him the name and he was quite sure that it was exactly what a woman would want for a first dinner date. _

Tony came out of his pleasant memories when he started his car and filed into the weak traffic. Within two minutes he reached Kate's apartment building and found a free parking spot almost directly in front of the door. Taking that as a good omen, Tony left the car and went up the few steps to the door. He pressed on the buzzer with Kate's name next to it and didn't have to wait long until he heard her voice over the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Miss Todd, your car has arrived", Tony said.

Her silent laughter sounded lovely even over the intercom. "Come on up", she said. "My apartment is on the third floor."

Tony took the elevator and soon reached Kate's floor, where he walked down the corridor that was as clean and quiet as the rest of the building. He could very well imagine Kate living here.

With the flowers in his left hand he knocked and waited. When the door opened, his jaw dropped. He had so hoped she would be wearing a little black dress, and hadn't even had to mention it to her in order to have his wish fulfilled. The dress had spaghetti straps and showed enough cleavage to look really sexy, but it was still modest enough to pass as elegant. It hugged the curve of her breasts and her slender waist nicely, and fell from her hips in soft waves. It ended two inches above the knees, showing more leg than the skirt she had worn Wednesday morning. She had put her hair up, leaving some strands down to play around her neck and shoulders.

Tony had enough experience with beautiful women to not completely lose his ability of speech, but he couldn't avoid stuttering a bit in the beginning, when he said: "You … wow … Kate, you look amazing."

Kate smiled brightly at him. "You don't look bad either", she said. Her gaze fell on the flowers he was still holding and she looked back into his face with a smile and one raised eyebrow.

"Oh … uh … right", Tony stuttered. "These are for you. I hope you like roses."

"I love roses", Kate said, taking the flowers and smelling them. "They are beautiful, thank you." She stepped closer to him and raised on her toes to kiss his cheek. But then she grinned and used her thumb to brush her lipstick off his cheek. "Sorry", she muttered.

"Don't worry", Tony said, giving her a look that made clear that he wouldn't mind having more of her lipstick on him.

Kate blushed. "I'll put the flowers into a vase and then we can go", she said quickly, hurrying away.

Tony used the opportunity to have a quick glance at her apartment. The front door was leading directly into the living room, which was small, but cozy. There were loads of pictures on the cupboards and walls, showing smiling adults and children. He wondered whose children they were and left a mental note to ask her later. Kate had vanished through an open door that obviously led into the kitchen, but he couldn't see much of it. There was another door in the wall opposite him and he guessed it led to her bedroom. He hoped he would find out some day.

Soon Kate returned and placed the vase with the roses on the coffee table in front of the couch. Then she picked up a dark red shawl that she threw around her shoulders and grabbed her purse.

"I'm ready", she declared, stepping next to Tony and smiling at him.

Smiling back, he placed one hand in the small of her back and led her out of the apartment.

It only took them ten minutes to get to the restaurant, so they didn't have to worry about their reservation. The receptionist, a stunningly beautiful brunette, looked for Tony's name on her list, before signaling one of the waiters to come over.

"Luc is going to show you to your table", she said. "Have a nice evening."

Tony smiled at her, trying not to make it look flirtatious because he didn't want to annoy Kate by flirting with the receptionist. So he offered Kate his arm and she gently placed her hand on it.

The waiter led them to a table near the high windows in the back where they had a nice view over the lantern lit garden outside. Tony pulled the chair out for Kate, not for the first time in his life thankful for his distinguished education, which had been so important for his mother.

"Madame, Monsieur, la carte", Luc said, handing them the menu. "Puis-je vous offrir un apéritif?" he asked after having illuminated to candles on the table.

"Shall we order wine?" Tony asked her.

_Does he really speak French?_ Kate thought excitedly. But maybe he had only recognized the word 'aperitif'. But when she agreed to ordering wine, she watched in awe as Tony turned to the waiter again and asked him which wine he recommended – in French! Luc listed several names and Tony chose one, asking Kate's agreement with his eyes.

"Where did you learn to speak French so well?" Kate asked as soon as the waiter was gone.

"I had some French at school. But when I didn't make enough progress, my mother hired a private teacher for me. She absolutely wanted me to become fluent."

"Wow", Kate said. "Is your family wealthy?"

"My parents are. But I don't live on their money anymore." He left out the fact that it hadn't been him who had made this choice. He smiled at her. "Now you know that I grew up with a lot of money. That means you can now blame all my faults on that circumstance."

Kate chuckled. "Okay, I will", she said.

Tony raised one eyebrow. "Does that mean you already found any faults?"

Quickly, Kate put on her most innocent expression. "Of course not", she said in her best scandalized tone.

Chuckling, they opened their menus, but Tony quickly sighed and said: "You know, in moments like these I'm glad I speak French so I won't end up eating snails or frogs without knowing it."

"I actually ate snails last week in France", Kate admitted. "They are not that bad – but still I closed my eyes and tried not to think about what it is I'm eating."

So they chose bouillabaisse as an entry. Kate ordered chicken as a main course and Tony decided for beef; then they handed back the menus and engaged in conversation while they were waiting for their food.

"I wanted to ask you something", Tony started. "Back at your apartment I saw all the pictures of small children on your walls. Whose children are they?"

"I have three older brothers", Kate explained. "The children are my nieces and nephews."

"How many have you got?"

"Five so far. Number six is on its way and will be born in December."

"Wow", Tony said. "Sounds like a full time job as a babysitter for you."

Kate smiled. "They live too far away for me to be of any use as a babysitter. Two of them live in Indiana, about three hours from here. But the third moved to California. He's the one whose wife is pregnant. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm a single child. And again you can blame all my faults on this circumstance."

"If I find any." She grinned.

"If you find any", Tony said, stressing the 'if'.

By the time the first course was served, Tony had already learned the names, ages, likes and dislikes of each of Kate's nieces and nephews. She wasn't sure if he asked out of interest or politeness, but either way he gave her the feeling that he was really listening to her.

While eating their soup Kate asked Tony about his time as a cop in Baltimore and gave him the opportunity to brag a bit. He was sweet when he was trying to show off in front of her.

There was not one single uncomfortable silence between them throughout the whole meal. They switched from subject to subject without consciously thinking about it and it seemed like they found something to say to almost anything. Tony was having a great time. He couldn't remember having ever enjoyed the conversation with one of his dates so much – perhaps because the girls he usually dated had other qualities than being good in keeping conversations interesting. And it wasn't only the things that she said that he found entertaining. He also liked watching her features while she talked, the way she raised her eyebrows or frowned or how she smirked when she was being sarcastic. He was so preoccupied with watching her face that he never even tried to let his eyes wander down to steal a glance at her cleavage – not that he didn't want to, he did. But he was content with watching her face and, in addition to that, he was very sure that she would find this kind of behavior very rude.

But even though he was enjoying himself very much, he also longed to get something more from her, get closer to her. So, when they had finished desert and their plates had been taken away, he leaned forward and reached over the small table to put his hand on Kate's. Her fingers were warm and the touch of her soft skin was electrifying. With his thumb he drew a small circle inside her palm, looking into her eyes while he did so.

"I am really lucky because the most beautiful woman in this restaurant is sitting at my table", he said with a soft voice. He saw that he had made her blush and had to bite back a grin. He loved making her blush! "Would you like to stay a bit longer?" he asked. "Maybe have another drink?"

"Yes", Kate said silently, her eyes never leaving his.

This was another thing Tony had never done before. Normally, the point in a dinner date was to impress the girl as much as possible as quickly as possible and then get her out of the restaurant as quickly as you could so that she had the possibility to ask you inside for a coffee. Wasn't it? But now that he thought about it, this method appeared very cheap to him. And, in addition to that, he wasn't so sure if Kate would really invite him in, no matter how much of a gentleman he had been today. It just didn't seem likely with her.

Damn, he needed a whole new game plan for this woman! But for now he thought the right thing to do was to make her stay with him a little bit longer so that he would have more time to make her laugh and hold her hand. Maybe she'd kiss him later.

'_Huh?'_ a quite irritated voice inside him asked. _'What are you? A teenager on his first date ever? Don't act like you don't know ways to get a woman to kiss you goodnight!'_

Tony had to agree, there were a lot of methods one could use to charm a woman into kissing you. But he didn't want any of those cheap moves. There was this amazing woman in front of him and he was quite sure that he had managed to make her really like him. He wanted to prove to himself that just being himself was enough.

They ordered Martinis and while they were waiting Kate excused herself and left for the bathroom. She wanted to check her hair and makeup and have a few moments to herself to think about what she was planning to do later when he took her home. She enjoyed this evening so much and she really liked Tony, but still she thought it was too early to take their relationship to the next level. No, that wasn't right. The next level would be to kiss him, properly, not like the last time, and she was definitely willing to make that step. But actually asking him in would be one step ahead of schedule.

But oh my god she really wanted to kiss him! And she feared that if she didn't make a clear decision right now that she could still think rationally, she would ask him in later anyway, just because her mind wouldn't work properly anymore. No, she couldn't spend the night with him. After all, ten days ago the guy had been a complete stranger to her and she wasn't a person who built up trust easily. Maybe it was because of her problem to trust others that she still was a little bit afraid that all Tony wanted might be to have sex with her and that he wouldn't call her again as soon as he had managed to get inside her pants. She really didn't want to believe this, but she couldn't help it and she knew, if she asked him in today and it turned out that she had been right, she would feel cheap and it would take months until she was over it.

'You are being stupid', she told herself. 'He's not like that. He's nice and polite and he definitely knows how to treat a woman.' She didn't want to ruin this perfect evening with her stupid worries, so she quickly checked her make up and hair and returned to their table.

They stayed in the restaurant for more than another hour and still didn't find it difficult to keep up the conversation. But shortly after eleven they both agreed to leave, because it was definitely getting late.

Tony decided not to take his car to go back because even if he wasn't drunk, he'd definitely had too much alcohol to drive. So he left his car in the restaurant's parking lot and asked the receptionist to call a cab for them.

While they were waiting in front of the restaurant, Tony took Kate's hand in his and gently squeezed her fingers. He leaned closer to her and said: "I'll give the driver your address and walk from your place, okay?"

"Yeah, okay", she said, fighting back a wave of excitement.

Then the cab arrived and they both climbed into the back seat, where they spent the short ride in companionable silence, still holding hands. Tony was playing with Kate's fingers, but she noticed that he did it unconsciously, while he seemed a bit lost in thought. She smiled.

When they reached Kate's building, Tony paid the driver, got out of the cab and walked around it to open the door for Kate. She took the hand he offered to help her out of the car and didn't let go while he pushed the door closed. When the cab drove away, they were standing alone on the sidewalk.

Tony looked down into Kate's face, but soon his eyes locked on the loose strands of hair that were playing around her neck in the light evening breeze. He lifted one hand and gently touched those stray locks, running his fingers through them. And then he couldn't resist brushing his fingertips over the side of her neck, because he was dying to find out if her skin was as soft as it looked. He smiled. Of course it was.

Slowly Tony's hand wandered up to her face and he carefully put two fingers under her chin to lift her face up. He looked at her and watched how her eyes wandered up and down between his eyes and lips, begging him to come closer. Who was he to deny a lady's wish?

Tony bent down, moving his hand from her chin to her cheek and up into her hair. When their faces were so close that he could feel her breath on his skin, he closed his eyes and gently pulled her to him. When their lips touched, he felt how his entire being focused on Kate. He felt her body move closer to his as her arms came up to wrap around his neck, felt the softness and warmth of her lips and tasted their sweetness. He could smell her intoxicating perfume and heard the shaky breath she let out, mixed with the sounds of his own breathing and his heartbeat, thumping loudly in his ears.

He opened his mouth, running his tongue over her lips, and when he felt them part to let him in, he slipped one arm around her back to pull her closer and let himself be consumed by the kiss.

Minutes went by without them noticing. They were completely oblivious to the world around them and they might have stayed like this forever, but at some point Tony's wish to look at her and see the expression in her eyes became so pressing that he finally broke out of the kiss. Cupping her face with both hands he looked down at her, fascinated by her hazel eyes and the soft expression in them. He also noticed that her fingers had closed around the lapels of his jacket and she didn't let go even now, holding on as if she needed it to keep her steady. So he wrapped one arm around her back again to hold her and slowly he felt her hands relax. They wandered up to the nape of his neck and pulled him down until their lips met again.

They stayed on the sidewalk in front of the house, kissing and holding each other for a very long time, but it passed like the flicker of a flame. When Tony kissed her cheek and whispered that he would go now, Kate desperately wanted to ask him to stay, but she bit her lip. Not yet, she told herself, and she was sure it was for the best. She'd see him again soon and if he really was the man she thought he was, they'd have all the time in the world.

So she whispered her okay and accepted the last kiss he placed on her lips.

"And now get in", he told her softly. "I don't think I will be able to leave as long as you're standing here."

She smiled at him, lifting one hand and gently brushing her palm over his cheek, then she turned and quickly entered the building in front of her.


	5. Summer Rain

**Chapter 5****: Summer Rain**

Tony started his Sunday with a walk to the restaurant where he had been with Kate the night before to get his car. He was in an extremely good mood and was humming or whistling all the time. Each and every one of his thoughts was circling around the last evening. How she had opened the door and he had seen her dress for the first time. The way her eyes were gleaming in the candlelight during dinner. Her hand in his. Her kiss. More than anything else he was thinking about the kiss. The memory of having Kate in his arms with her lips on his was burning inside of him. He was starting to wonder whether his emotions were running so high because yesterday they had ended the evening where it usually just began.

When they had been standing in front of her door he had so wished that she would invite him in. He hadn't really expected it, but wished it he had. He was not unhappy with the outcome of the evening as a whole, but he was not used to longer time spans between first kisses and … that which came next.

Still, the amazingly good mood he was in all day gave proof for how content he was with the course of events. Maybe it wasn't bad to wait. It definitely made the excitement rise. And he was already planning on his next meeting with her. Would he be able to see her during the week?

The call he received at around 7 that evening answered that question.

"Hi, Tony, it's Kate", he heard her voice after he had answered the phone.

"Kate, hi! What a nice surprise. How was your day?"

"Very good. I met some friends. We went shopping and had an early dinner together."

"And a lot of girl talk, I guess."

She laughed. "You guessed correctly."

"Hm … What might Kate have told her friends about?" Tony mused. "It couldn't be the good looking, charming Italian gentleman she's currently dating?"

"You think they'd be interested?" Kate teased, but then she gave in. "Yeah, maybe I mentioned you once or twice … How was your day?"

Tony smiled at her sudden change of subject. "I picked up my car, watched a game. Nothing interesting. Except for some very pleasant daydreams including another federal agent I happen to know."

"I'm sure Agent Gibbs would be flattered to hear that", Kate replied without a second of hesitation and Tony's eyes went wide in surprise. That woman certainly knew how to retort!

Chuckling softly, he replied: "I can't say Agent Gibbs is anywhere near as attractive as the agent I was thinking about. Kate?" he added after a short pause. "I enjoyed yesterday evening a lot."

"Me too", she said softly. "And I'd really love to meet you again … that's why I'm calling, actually. I forgot to tell you something yesterday."

"What is it?"

"I'll be out of town for a couple of days – a week, actually. I'm going to California to help with the preparations for the president's planned visit. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but then I was … preoccupied."

"Preoccupied? That's what this is called nowadays?" He heard Kate chuckle and grinned. "When are you going to be back?"

"Next Sunday, around midday. I could call you when I'm back."

"Yes. I'll tell you something. You call me as soon as you're back and I'll use this week to come up with something nice we could do then. Agree?"

"Absolutely. I'm already looking forward to it."

* * *

The next week became the most exhausting one in Tony's entire life – so far. They had a big case to solve and the workload was so immense that he hardly got any sleep in days. But he learned some interesting facts about himself. He learned how much he could come to value a hot shower after having spent 36 hours straight at the office. He learned that he could live surprisingly long on coffee and protein bars. And he learned that – even though work was keeping him so busy – he found it hard not to call Kate in the evenings. He could have called her, of course, but he didn't know about her working hours and didn't want to disturb her. Plus, if she had wanted him to call, she would have said so. No, he decided that he would wait till Sunday and hope that she really called.

When they solved the case on Saturday morning and Gibbs sent Tony home, he got under the shower and then fell straight into bed. He slept until late afternoon, ordered takeout, ate it in front of the television and went back to bed.

By Sunday morning he was well rested, but nervous - in an exciting kind of way . He was out of the apartment by half past eight because he still had to make arrangements for the afternoon.

When he came back he was very content with himself, but now he had nothing else to do, so he ended up cleaning the apartment. All the time he didn't leave his cell phone out of earshot. When it rang around 14.30 he immediately reached for it to look at the name on the display.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, then pressed 'send' and said: "Hi, Kate!"

"Hi, Tony", she replied and he could hear that she was smiling. "I just came back and now I'm calling you as promised."

"Which is a very good thing because I already have the afternoon planned for us."

"Seriously?" she asked, obviously touched.

"Of course. Can I come and pick you up in half an hour? Casual clothing is required."

Kate chuckled. "Thanks for the information. I'll be ready in half an hour."

When they had ended the call, Tony started pacing his apartment nervously, going over his game plan again. They were not really familiar with each other yet, which could easily lead to some kind of awkward or uncomfortable feeling when you saw the other again after some time. He was determined not to let any awkwardness come between them, that's why he would make clear how glad he was to see her again right from the beginning. He would show her that they could continue right where they'd left off last Saturday.

His heart seemed to be beating inside his throat when he finally stood in front of Kate's door. He swallowed, then knocked and waited.

The door opened and there she was, wearing blue jeans and a white tank top and jacket, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She smiled at him and Tony smiled back, taking one step towards her. He slipped one arm loosely around her waist to hold her to him and when he bent down she immediately lifted her face up to meet him.

Their kiss was slow and burning and there was no trace of uncertainty in it. When they had ended it, they remained standing close together and Tony touched his forehead to hers.

"I guess this answers the question if you missed me", Tony teased her and Kate chuckled. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Tony took her to his favorite park. He was really glad that the weather was so good because his bad weather plan would have been to take her to the art gallery to see the exhibition she'd told him about last Saturday. But with the sun shining brightly he could go through with his good weather plan and make a picnic with her. He had a basket full of food – not homemade, but he was sure she'd forgive him – a blanket and he knew the best place for a picnic. He was sure going to impress her.

They walked through the park holding hands and talking about everything and nothing. Kate was in an exuberant mood, laughing and teasing him a lot, and Tony didn't get tired of just watching her – and retorting, if required.

"Over there?" Kate suggested after about five minutes.

"No." Tony shook his head and pulled her with him when he left the walkway they'd been following so far.

"Where're we going?" she asked.

"You'll see!" Kate rolled her eyes, but didn't protest any more.

They walked around a small hill, passing several families on the way, and finally reached a group of big trees, some willows and young oaks, and were soon walking through what could easily be called a small forest.

"It's beautiful", Kate sighed, watching the patches of sunlight that the peacefully rustling leaves created on the ground.

Tony squeezed her hand. "We're almost there", he said, ducking under the low branches of a willow and stepping out into a tiny clearing. It was surrounded by willows whose branches reached down to the ground, creating the impression of standing inside a room with living walls. Up above they could see the blue sky of June with a couple of slow moving white clouds.

"You like it?" Tony asked.

Kate turned around to face him, her eyes wide like those of a surprised child. "This is the most beautiful place I've ever been to", she whispered, before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Tony set the basket down to have both hands free and pulled her closer to him. When he kissed the side of her neck, Kate turned her head to face him and caught his lips with hers.

Tony couldn't remember the last time he had been kissed like this – maybe because this was the first time? It was sweet and tender and there was so much emotion in it that he could almost taste it. A wave of tenderness swept through him and he tried to put all of it into the kiss, but it was impossible, it was too much.

He broke out of the kiss and took a deep breath, glad that he was able to breathe again. His head was spinning. When he looked down into Kate's deep brown eyes the thought came to him that with this woman he might have gotten more than he had bargained for, perhaps more than he could handle. But he should be damned if he didn't want to try!

"Is everything alright?" Kate asked

Tony cupped her cheek with one hand and smiled at her. "Of course it is", he said. "Let's get the blanket out."

It didn't take them long to put everything into place and they were soon sitting on the blanket, eating fruit and chatting about the most interesting events of the last week. They used all the excuses they could think of to touch each other casually. They brushed their hands over each others arms or legs, leaned close together to talk about places they had been to like they were secrets. Kate even told him that as a teenager she had liked to read books about palmistry, so that she could take his hand in both of hers and take her time to explain the different lines to him, carefully tracing them with her fingertips. Tony wanted her to tell him something about his future, but she only gave him a knowing look and shook her head. Tony asked again and again, but Kate only grinned and refused.

"Tell me now", Tony threatened, "or I'll tickle it out of you."

Kate only shrugged. "I'm not ticklish", she said.

"That's what they all say – and it's never true", Tony said, reaching for her and catching her around the waist with both arms to pull her onto his lap.

Giggling uncontrollably, Kate put her hands on his shoulders and pushed away from him, but he didn't let go and without a warning he flipped her onto her back and landed on top of her. Now he had his hands free because his weight was holding her down, but he didn't take the opportunity to tickle her again. Instead he ran one hand down the side of her body, letting it rest on her hip before lifting it up to her face and stroking her cheek. He leaned down slowly and placed a soft kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, one of Kate's hands came up to the nape of his neck and pulled him down again.

Some time later they lay on the blanket next to each other. Kate's head was resting on Tony's shoulder and one of her arms was wrapped tightly around his waist. Tony had one arm around Kate's back, with the other hand he was stroking Kate's upper arm.

"Thank you", Kate said after some time spent in silence.

"What for?"

"This afternoon. This picnic is definitely the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me."

Tony pressed a kiss to the top of her head and squeezed her gently. "You're welcome", he said.

They stayed on the small clearing for at least another hour, talking and eating, but most of the time just cuddling. The place had something magical about it and made them completely forget that they were in the middle of the city. During that hour, they had no interest whatsoever in dealing with any problems of the world outside.

But then an interruption came from an unexpected side.

"Look", Kate suddenly said and pointed up to the sky. Tony looked up too and saw that dark clouds were gathering up there. They were moving quickly.

"That looks like the beginning of a thunderstorm. Maybe it's better if we go now", he said. "Do you want me to take you home?" Kate only nodded.

So they packed the remaining food and the blanket back into the basket, laced their fingers and started to walk back through the park. Everywhere they saw people who were hurrying out of the park too because they didn't want to get into the rain that was soon going to fall. But the park was not big and they soon reached the spot where they had parked the car.

On the ride home they didn't talk much because they were both thinking of the afternoon they had spent together. From time to time one of them would reach over to the other and touch their arm or leg, but they did it casually, not initiating eye contact. But when Tony parked the car near Kate's building, she immediately leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"Would you walk me to my door?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course." Tony hurried to get out of the car and around it to open the passenger side door. The moment Kate climbed out of the car and came to stand in front of Tony, the rain started. It was warm summer rain that fell in heavy drops and soaked them through within seconds.

"Oh my god!" Kate laughed and lifted her face up.

"Come on!" Tony said, taking her hand and starting to run.

They reached the front door of the building, Kate quickly unlocked it and they stumbled in, soaking wet, but laughing. She pressed the button for the elevator and the doors opened immediately. On the ride up to the third floor, Tony wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders and pulled her close to kiss her forehead. She shivered slightly in his arms.

"Are you cold?" Tony asked.

Kate wanted to answer but right then the doors opened and they left the elevator. She unlocked her door, but before she could open it Tony had reached for her arms and turned her around. Smiling down at her he brushed the wet hair out of her forehead and took her face in his hands. Her eyes fluttered closed when he leaned down and kissed her, tasting the rain on her lips.

With great difficulty he finally pulled out of the kiss. "I think I should go now, right?" he said, not sounding very convinced.

Kate's hands wandered over his shoulders and down his chest. "You're soaking wet", she said. "It would be irresponsible to leave these clothes on any longer." And with that she moved her hands to his back and under his shirt. Tony jumped slightly because her hands were cold from the rain. Kate chuckled and pulled her hands back, but Tony caught them and wrapped his hands around them.

"I'm sure we could find a way to warm them", he whispered, kissing her knuckles.

"Will you stay?" Kate asked quietly, looking up at him from under her lashes.

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

Tony smiled brightly and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "I was hoping you'd ask", he admitted, then he followed her inside.

* * *

The rain that was splattering down outside ran down the window and blurred the vision of the outside world. The light of day was fading rapidly now and inside the bedroom dusk had already fallen some time ago. Kate was asleep on her right side, one hand lying on the pillow in front of her face. The blanket was pulled up to her chest, but it did not cover her left arm that reached over to Tony's side. He had covered her hand with his and sometimes he stroked up and down her arm, but most of the time he lay still because he didn't want to wake her. He was watching her sleep, had been for almost an hour now. A peaceful, happy feeling had settled inside him. He enjoyed this feeling so much that the time that passed did not matter to him anymore. He didn't feel bored or tired.

Once or twice he had wanted to wake her, only to see her eyes again and maybe to make her smile. But he didn't do it.

But then she started to stir in her sleep and soon her eyes opened. She looked at Tony and smiled. Her hand on the pillow moved to cup Tony's cheek and she shifted closer to him until he could put his arm around her waist and pull her soft body flush with his. Their lips met in a gentle kiss that definitely didn't last long enough, but Tony didn't kiss her again. Now their faces were not even an inch from each other, their breath stroking over the other's lips. He felt so intimately close to her that he barely dared moving because he feared he might end the moment. But then he couldn't hold back anymore and his hand moved up to the nape of her neck where his fingers tangled in her dark locks and he gently pushed her forward until he was kissing her again.

"Stay over", she whispered against his lips before she brushed her tongue over his.

For a moment Tony was fighting to put the words together for a coherent answer. When he had found a sentence that he thought would make sense, he gently bit her bottom lip before pulling back. "I'll stay as long as you want to keep me here", he whispered.

tbc...


	6. Learning

**Chapter 6: Learning**

In the week following the first night Tony had spent at Kate's place the two of them had breakfast together two times. Not on Monday because when they got out of bed they were already late for work. But they managed to meet on Tuesday because Tony called her on Monday night and asked when he would have a chance to use the rain check she had given him that morning.

The other time was on Friday, at Tony's place, because he had asked Kate to go to the cinema with him on Thursday evening to watch one of his favorite black and white movies and his apartment was where they ended up afterwards. She was wearing that skirt that was shorter than the skirts he had already seen her in and it was driving him crazy all evening, especially because she would reject all his attempts to take advantage of her very tempting outfit, even inside the dark audience room. By the end of the evening he almost dragged her up the stairs to his apartment even though she protested that the next day was a work day and they both had to get up early. He didn't really listen because he had the feeling that she was wearing that skirt on purpose and was now only teasing him with the power she knew she had over him.

It was the second night they spent together and it was in no way less perfect than the first one.

On Saturday evening he took her out for dinner to another very noble restaurant. This time she wasn't wearing a little black dress, but a dark green, silky one that was a bit longer than the other, but also showed more cleavage. This time he used some more French because he knew it impressed her, asking her some very intimate questions that made her blush. He answered some of the questions himself, later that night when they were alone again.

They spent the Sunday together, staying in bed until past midday, then going for a walk along the river, holding hands and flirting shamelessly. Only walking with her like that, her fingers laced with his, was an uncommon experience for Tony. Normally he wasn't someone who liked going for walks. If he had to go somewhere and it wasn't far away, of course he could walk there, but just walking for the sake of walking was nothing he usually enjoyed. Having Kate by his side changed his attitude, though. The way she held his hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world, showing to everyone who passed them on their way that they were together, struck a so far unknown chord inside of him.

The following week was one full of work for both of them. But Tony had Friday evening off. Kate didn't. He felt like going out to a club, have some drinks, chat up some girls and was already going through his wardrobe in his head to find out which shirt to wear when he realized he couldn't do it. He couldn't go out "just like that" because knowing himself he knew how it always ended. And that was not possible now.

So he stayed at home, still a little taken aback by his sudden realization and sulking for no particular reason.

She called him on Saturday morning, apologizing for not having been able to meet him the previous night. There was not a chance that Tony might have stayed mad at her after that – even more so because his sullenness had had nothing to do with her in particular.

"You had to work", he said reasonably. "I understand that."

"Yes, but I'd like to make it up to you."

Tony wanted to suggest that they could go to a club tonight, but Kate spoke first and suggested that he could come to her place and she'd cook dinner for him. He agreed.

She looked cute in an apron. He was at her place a bit early and she hadn't finished cooking and was still wearing a yellow apron with the word HOT written on the front. She looked a bit startled when she saw his grin and wanted to take off the apron, but Tony caught her hands in his and pulled her close to give her a kiss.

"No need to be modest", he said. "I'd even suggest we add a 'very' in front of it."

Then she blushed and he kissed her again and they almost burned their dinner because when it was time to take it out of the oven Kate was too distracted to hear the timer go off. But she remembered in time and they didn't have to go to bed hungry.

This evening Tony realized that he had already been seeing Kate for four weeks, if you started counting on the morning he had first met her, and he thought he should start counting then because since that day he hadn't been with another woman. This realization surprised him. Four weeks was a long time – for him.

"I'm going to Indiana next weekend to visit my family", Kate said on Sunday morning during breakfast.

Tony nodded his understanding. "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"I am looking forward to seeing them, too", Kate said. "I only manage to go there once every two or three months. But I wanted to ask you … you see, I told one of my sisters-in-law about you and she … well …"

She had already told his family about him?

Kate sighed. "I know this thing between us is still new and I could completely understand if you don't want to, but I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come with me."

Tony almost choked on a piece of toast. He hadn't seen that one coming.

"You don't have to", Kate said quickly. "I just didn't want you to feel that you wouldn't be welcome – because you would."

"Uh … yeah … well", Tony stuttered. "You see, Kate, … this is really sweet … that you thought of me … but … uh … I'm not so good at this getting-to-know-the-parents thing – at least not so early, I mean …"

"That's okay", she assured him. "As I said, I only wanted to ask."

"Yes, thank you." For some reason Tony felt as if he had just talked himself out of getting a ticket.

"They'll be disappointed, though", Kate said, smiling at him.

They? "You already told them about me?" Tony asked, keeping up his smile.

"Yeah, well, as I said, I told my sister-in-law and she told my mother and then my mother called me and wanted to know about you." Kate shrugged. "My mother is very curious, especially when it comes to me – because I'm her only daughter, I guess."

"Oh. I hope she won't think badly about me because I'm not coming with you." Tony was already starting to feel guilty.

"Don't worry. I'll tell her that I'll bring you next time, this should give us a couple of weeks of peace."

Tony listened up at her mentioning the next couple of weeks. But she was right, wasn't she? They liked each other, they had a lot of fun. Why wouldn't they last for that long? Tony shrugged off the thought. He wasn't used to this kind of thoughts, that's all.

"Come here", he said, leaning back on his chair and reaching one hand out to her. Kate stood up, came around the table and sat down on his lap, slipping her arms around his neck.

"What would you like to do today?" Tony asked. The weather was not good today, so they needed to come up with an indoor program.

"Hmm … There's an exhibition about modern art in town. I'd like to go there before it closes – but I'm not sure if that is something you like. I could also go there during the week with a friend."

Tony had never been interested in art, but during the last weeks he had often come to the conclusion that when Kate was with him he started to like things he normally disliked.

"Why not?" he said. "I don't see a reason why I shouldn't broaden my mind a bit."

Kate smiled at him. "Really?" she asked, touching her forehead to his.

Tony caught her lips with his before nodding. "Sure. As long as I get to spend the morning here with you."

"With 'here' you mean my bedroom?"

"Preferably, yes."

That afternoon Tony learned that liking things he normally disliked when Kate was with him did not apply to modern art. He found the exhibition extremely boring and wasn't able to see anything in those pictures. Kate, though, seemed to be fascinated. She dragged him through the show rooms, pointing out this and that and he could just follow and try to steal kisses from her every now and then – it seemed to be the only entertaining thing one could do in an art gallery.

After one hour he started making stupid comments about the paintings and about the people who thought such stuff was art. He was finding himself extremely funny and didn't even notice that he really started to piss Kate off.

"Maybe we should go", she said after one and a half hour. "So you can stop acting like a complete idiot."

Tony now read in her tone what he had missed in her eyes and posture over the past half hour and finally realized that she was angry. She didn't talk to him on their ride home and Tony didn't know what to say.

When he pulled up in front of her building, Kate said goodbye and wanted to get out of the car, but Tony stopped her by reaching for her arm. "Wait a moment", he said.

Kate turned around to face him and gave him an impatient look.

"I'm sorry", he sighed. "I shouldn't have gone there with you – I've never been interested in art."

"Then why didn't you say so before?"

Because he had wanted to please her, but he didn't say that now. "I don't know", he muttered. "But I'm sorry if I spoiled it for you. Maybe you can go there again with a friend of yours."

"Maybe", she murmured, playing with her bracelet.

"Are you angry?" Tony asked carefully. "Kate?"

He heard her sigh, then she looked at him and he saw that she was smiling. "No", she said softly. "I don't know what I expected in the first place. I mean, hardly any man likes these kind of things."

"Were you trying to convert me?"

Kate grinned. "It was worth a try."

Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Tony couldn't resist leaning over to her to kiss her. Before, in the gallery, he'd had serious doubts if Kate and him spending so much time together was really such a good idea – they had so different interests. But now he saw what a stupid thought that had been. He should really think about his attitude sometimes if one boring afternoon was enough for him to develop such doubts.

When the kiss ended, Tony stroked her cheek with one hand and smiled at her. "Will I see you again before you go to Indiana?" he asked.

"I was thinking that you could come over this evening" Kate said. "If you bring one of your movies I could make up to you that you had to spend a boring afternoon today."

"Have you just given me to understand that you find my movies boring?" Tony asked sternly. When Kate had to hide a grin he pouted.

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "I see one of us absolutely wants to watch my whole Hitchcock collection!"

Leaning over to him, Kate slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips close to his. "Just bring it on", she whispered. "If I get bored I'm sure I will find something – or someone - close to me to distract me."

So they spent the evening with Chinese takeout and Tony's Hitchcock collection and they actually made it through one and a half movie before Kate convinced Tony without words that there were definitely better things for them to do on a Sunday night.

When Tony was late for work the next day Agent Brewster took it as a reason to give him a hard time for the rest of the day. But when they were down in Abby's lab and Brewster was taunting Tony because he had made a mistake in one of the sketches, Abby slapped Brewster over the back of the head and told him to stop it. Tony held his breath because he was expecting Brewster to get violent, but he just glared at Abby and then changed the subject.

Kate left for Indiana on Friday in the late afternoon. They hadn't been able to see each other during the week, because she had to do a lot of overtime and Tony's team had a new case. When he was at home alone on Friday night he decided that he really needed to go out and meet some people. He had been in Washington for one and a half month and hardly new anyone so far. Of course, you had to value that he had managed to meet the most beautiful girl in town in his first week, but that only meant that he didn't need to chat up girls and still left him with the problem to find himself some new buddies.

Tony had never found it difficult to socialize with other people. Right in the first club he went to he hooked up with a group of three guys who were hanging out around the pool table, checking out the ladies at the bar and tables. Within half an hour he knew that they were perfect for him. They were fun to talk to, told dirty jokes all the time and they had a good taste in women. Also they weren't losers when it came to chatting up a good looking girl. When they had collected some phone numbers, they played a couple of rounds of pool together and bragged about girls they had known in the past.

"And how do you like the girls in Washington?" Woody, a 35 year old ambulance man asked him. "What kind of ladies have you met so far – and, more important, do they have a lot of friends?"

They all roared with laughter and Tony was quick to assure the others that since he was in Washington he had met pretty girls every weekend. "Being a cop helps with the ladies", he said. He didn't mention that the pretty girls were actually only one girl and that she was his girlfriend. It was the first night, he had to make a good impression.

When it was getting late, the others tried to hook up with women in the club, looking for one who might take them home with her. Tony pretended to do so, too, but he wasn't serious. He might be a skirt-chaser, but he wasn't and had never been unfaithful. As long as he was with a girl – even if it only lasted a couple of days – he didn't hook up with other girls, that was one of his rules. And he wouldn't have done that to Kate, no way.

So he waited until the others had gotten lucky and when he was the last one left he could go home too.

He met his new buddies again on Saturday, in a different club this time. He invented name and appearance of a woman who he said had taken him home with her the night before.

"Was it the blonde that was here with a red head and a brunette – the brunette that turned Woody down?" Gary, a plumber and winner of last night's bet about who of them could drink a half liter beer the fastest, was very keen on finding out who exactly Tony had gotten hooked up with.

"She was alone when I talked to her, but you might be right."

"How was she?" asked Jack, an ex-banker who was currently unemployed.

"Oh man!" Tony said and made a wolf whistle. The others laughed.

Then Tony listened to the stories the others had to tell about last night's adventures. So he found out that Woody had a thing for brunettes and that made him think about Kate. The last thing he had done before getting on his way to the club tonight had been talking to Kate over the phone for half an hour. She'd said that she would get home on Sunday evening and he had asked her to come to his place when she was back, no matter what time. He hadn't seen her in almost a week, not since their very interesting Hitchcock marathon. Strange though, he couldn't remember what the second movie had been. After about half an hour into the movie, Kate had started nibbling his earlobe and the next thing he knew was she had been straddling his lap and taking the remote out of his hands.

"Hey, Tony!" Woody said.

"Huh?" Tony hadn't been listening.

"Haha, guys, I think Tony's thoughts are still with last night's blonde", Woody laughed. "I asked if you were up for a game of Darts."

When it was getting late, the scenario of the previous night was repeated. Woody, Gary and Jack went on the hunt, while Tony stayed behind. Tonight he was so immersed in daydreams about Kate's return the next day that he didn't even pretend to chat up one of the ladies. His buddies didn't pay much attention though.

On Sunday evening Tony was trying to concentrate on a movie on TV while his gaze was drawn to his wristwatch every half minute. It was already past nine. Maybe she hadn't been able to leave when she had planned to or her flight had been delayed – or both. Or maybe she wasn't able to get a taxi from the airport. Why hadn't he offered to pick her up?

He had to wait until half past nine until he heard the buzzer. He jumped off the couch and ran over to the intercom.

"Hello?" He said. He had been thinking about some smart way of answering, but hadn't come up with anything.

"Hey, it's me", Kate's voice said and Tony buzzed her up.

Then he waited impatiently behind his door until he finally heard the knock, counted to three and opened. Kate smiled at him. She was wearing jeans and a blouse and in one hand she was carrying a small sports bag.

When Tony opened his arms she stepped into his embrace and lifted her face up to meet his kiss.

"I brought some things to wear tomorrow", Kate said, when they'd broken out of the kiss. "I don't see why I should be late for work every Monday because I have to get to my place first."

"Good idea", Tony said. He hadn't let her go yet. When Kate noticed that he wasn't planning on letting her out of his embrace any time soon, she dropped her bag, wrapped her arms around his back and relaxed against his chest.

"Hey", she whispered.

Tony chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Hey." He breathed in the scent of her hair and felt how he started feeling stupid for not having told his friends that he was seeing someone.

"Did you have a nice trip?" he asked after some time, finally loosening his arms around her and leading her over to the couch. When he sat down, Kate settled on his lap and wrapped one arm around his neck.

"It was great", she said. "If you don't count my mother, who had nothing else to do for two days than ask me questions about you."

"And what did you tell her?" Tony asked curiously.

"Just some things worth knowing. That you used to be a cop, that you speak perfect French, that you are a single child. When it was getting late I sometimes told her about our sex life, but that …"

"What?" Tony exclaimed, taking on an expression of utter shock.

Kate chuckled. "Don't worry", she said, cupping his cheek with one hand. "It was only a joke. I would never talk to my mum about such things."

Tony waved his right index finger in front of her face. "If you're planning on giving me a heart attack, now you know what you have to do."

"Aw", Kate cooed. "I'm sorry." She leaned in to kiss him and got him to respond within two seconds. He brought his hands up into her hair, quickly deepening the kiss, and gently pushed her down on the couch. When he broke out of the kiss, he lifted his face up to look down at her. She smiled at him and he playfully kissed the tip of her nose because he knew it made her giggle.

Tony kissed her neck and the hollow of her throat, then he started to unbutton her blouse, button for button, while he placed tender kisses on her lips. When he had finished with the buttons he shifted his position, moving down her body until he could kiss her stomach, just above her navel. He enjoyed the warm and soft texture of her skin and when he placed his hands on her waist and kissed her stomach again, he felt her shiver, which he liked even more.

"Tony", Kate whispered, threading the fingers of her right hand through his hair.

"Hm?" Tony rested his chin on her belly, not putting too much weight on it, and looked up into her face.

"I missed you", she said.

Normally, Tony didn't know what to make of such words. They had often been unwelcome for him and he had felt uncomfortable hearing them. But hearing them from Kate made his stomach tingle. He crawled back up her body and propped his weight up on his elbows in order not to crush her. When he looked at her he almost got lost inside the depth of her brown eyes.

"I missed you too", he said, surprised at how much he meant it.

He watched in fascination how a bright smile lit up Kate's features, shortly followed by his most favorite teasing expression. She shifted slightly under him and one of her legs wrapped around his hips. She brought her hands up to the nape of his neck and pulled him down. "Show me how much", she whispered before kissing him.

Tony smiled into the kiss. He liked women who trusted actions more than words.


	7. Changes

_A/N: __Okay, this is not as long as I wanted it to be, but I decided to make two shorter chapters out of what I had planned to be one very long one – so you don't have to wait another week for an update. I'll try to write more next time, I promise._

**Chapter 7: Changes**

Tony was really looking forward to Tuesday evening. His friend Woody had called him the day before and had invited him to the weekly poker night at his place and Tony hadn't had a chance to play ever since he had left Baltimore.

The evening was genius. Not only were there a lot of beer, chips and cigars, but he also won thirty dollars and the respect of the others for being such a good player. He called Kate on Wednesday evening to tell her about the previous night, because for some reason he more and more often felt the urge to tell her all his news. So he told her about all his good hands and about the bluff he had pulled off that had won him the pot.

"Kate? Are you still there?" he asked, when he had finished his story and no reaction came from her.

"Yeah, sure", she said, not very enthusiastically.

"Hey, what's wrong? Don't you play poker? I could show you if you want."

"No, thanks", she said, still sounding as if her thoughts were elsewhere. Had she had a bad day?

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked. "Do you want to come over?"

"I don't know. I'm rather tired. And I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Aw, come on. You don't have to stay over if you rather sleep at home. Just come over for a movie. I can give you a ride home later."

"Tony …"

"Come on, please!"

"Fine", she sighed.

"Yes!" Tony cheered. "When are you coming?"

"Twenty minutes?"

"Perfect!"

When Kate finally knocked, Tony ran to open the door and greeted her with a kiss, then stepped back to let her into the apartment. He had put two burning candles on the coffee table in front of the couch and had dimmed the electric light. He wanted to cheer Kate up by being romantic.

He politely asked her to sit down and offered her a glass of wine, which she accepted. When he asked her about her day she only answered curtly.

"The day can't have been very good", Tony concluded, smiling at her. "You don't have to talk about it, that's okay. There's other things we could do other than talking." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Tony, that's about the last thing I want to do right now!" she said harshly.

Tony's jaw dropped when he suddenly realized that she wasn't having a bad day at all, she was angry with him! What on Earth had he done wrong?

He decided to be careful. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

Kate shrugged.

He tried a smile. "What would you like to do? We don't have to watch a movie. I'm open for suggestions."

"Ah, today you are?"

"What?" Tony asked confusedly.

"Yesterday you didn't ask."

"No, I didn't, because I had plans for yesterday", Tony said, rather impatiently. "And I told you so on the phone when I called you in the afternoon. Seriously, is it such a problem if I spend one evening in the week with my friends?"

"No it isn't", Kate replied curtly.

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset."

"Yes, you are!" Tony said. He hated it when women got like that, saying one thing and meaning another and expecting the guy to figure it all out. "We didn't have any plans for yesterday, did we?"

"If you say so", she replied.

"What? Did we have plans?"

"On Monday morning I said that I'd like you to meet a friend of mine and her boyfriend and that we would meet on Tuesday."

Now they were getting there! But Tony wasn't planning on admitting his guilt here.

"No, you said maybe we'd meet on Tuesday, maybe!" he replied. "You weren't even sure if your friend had time. And why can she choose if she has time or not and I can't?"

"Of course you can."

"Then why are you upset?"

"I'm not! I just thought it would be nice if you could keep Tuesday evening free. But obviously it was too much to ask."

"Kate!" Tony exclaimed, almost wringing his hands. "I didn't know you wanted me to keep it free!"

"Okay! You don't have to get so loud over it."

"I'm not …!" He took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to shout", he said, as calm as he could. "But I really don't see what I've done wrong this time. Maybe we could agree that it was a misunderstanding?"

Kate only shrugged, then slowly nodded.

Tony was relieved. He didn't like it when she was upset. But still he wondered why she was making him feel like after all it was still his fault. His only crime was that now he had friends and not every single day of his week was dedicated only to her. She couldn't seriously blame him for that.

Sighing, Tony leaned back on the couch and switched the TV on. He searched for a news program because he hadn't heard the news today and they sat there in silence for some minutes.

But then Kate leaned over, took the remote out of Tony's hands and pressed the mute button. He looked at her in surprise, prepared for a continuation of their argument.

"I … I'm sorry", she said. "I was acting like … I don't know. It was stupid, I'm sorry."

Tony nodded slowly. He was still confused as to what their previous argument had been about and her apology came unexpected.

"I guess I haven't made myself clear concerning my plans", she continued. "You couldn't know that you were supposed to keep Tuesday evening free."

"And what if I had known and still I had wanted to play poker with my friends?" Tony asked. He was growing tired of Kate implying that whenever she wanted he had to cancel all his plans in order to fit in with her timetable.

She looked at him, totally aghast. Then she put on a straight face. "I was just thinking that with our jobs keeping us busy we should try to make good use of the time we have together", she said. "But of course you have a right to spend time with your friends", she added, this time not sounding critical. She opened her mouth to say something else, hesitated, then sighed in frustration. "I think we got our wires crossed this time, didn't we?" She sounded exhausted.

"Yes", Tony agreed. "We definitely did."

Kate sent him a half smile and Tony smirked. Spontaneously, he leaned over and kissed her cheek, then touched his forehead to her temple and remained close to her for some moments. Then he drew back and looked at her. "We both don't seem to be at our best tonight", he concluded. "Maybe we shouldn't take any more risks and just call it a day."

"I think you're right", she said, smiling at him.

He stood up and reached for her hand to help her up from the couch. "Come on", he said. "I'll give you a ride home."

She took his hand and smiled at him. "Thanks."

When they had reached her building, Tony kissed her and said he would call her the next day. She left the car and Tony waited until she had gotten inside before he drove away. What an evening! Never had he expected that having a girlfriend would be such hard work!

The next day Tony accompanied Gibbs down to Abby's lab to see if she had the DNA results for their recent case ready. Abby explained that the DNA they had found didn't match their prime suspect.

"Damn it!", Gibbs muttered. He wanted to drink from his coffee, but obviously the cup was empty because he grunted and threw it away before leaving the lab, very likely in search of another dose of caffeine.

"What's wrong?" Abby asked, as soon as Gibbs was gone.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked back.

"You look like something's worrying you."

"No, it's nothing."

"Talking about it might help."

"Talking about nothing helps?"

Abby crossed her arms in front of her chest and tried to stare him down.

Tony smiled. "Okay, maybe you can help me."

"Oh, great, great, great!" Abby cheered and hurried to get two chairs for Tony and her. She sat down on the edge of hers and looked at him expectantly. "Shoot!"

"Well, there's this woman …", Tony started.

"Of course there is", Abby said compassionately.

"She's my girlfriend, you see? And I like her, I really do." Tony sighed.

"Where's the problem?"

Tony laughed humorlessly. "There shouldn't be a problem. But still … I just can't help it."

"You can't help what?"

"I'm just … I'm not sure … You see, I've never had a real … relationship."

Abby wondered why he was saying 'relationship' like it was the first time the word came past his lips. "There's a first time for everything", she said.

"Yes, of course, but … I don't know … I want to be with her, really. But being with her also means putting an end to the life I've been living so far. And I really used to like my life as it was."

"And you fear that she's not worth it or what?" Abby asked, deliberately trying to challenge him with her choice of words. But he surprised her with his answer.

"Uhm … no, I'm pretty sure that she is worth it. But I don't know if I can live this kind of life. What if at some point I realize that I want my old life back?"

"And you think then she'd tie you to a chair and not let you go?"

"No." Tony sighed. "But if in some years I figure out that I gave up my liberty too early then it will be too late to get it back because then I'll be too old for it and … I'm not making any sense here, am I?"

Abby chuckled. "Don't worry, I think I understand what you mean. But I'm not sure if I can help you with your problem. Have you tried talking to your girlfriend about it?"

Tony shook his head. "It would only hurt her", he said. "And I don't want that."

"Which obviously means you care for her."

"Of course I do! She's great. But there are those moments when she really drives me crazy. Like when she's mad at me for no reason at all. Or when I'm mad at her and she only looks at me and I don't remember the reason why I'm mad."

Abby smiled.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Do you want to hear my advice?"

"Sure."

"Give it a try and be open to learn something new. Don't think of a relationship in terms of losing something, but gaining something."

"That sounds really wise", Tony said.

"Yeah, doesn't it?" Abby grinned.

"Thanks, Abby", Tony said. "I guess I'll have to go back upstairs now and see what Gibbs wants me to do next."

"See you later", she said, watching him leave. "And Tony?" she shouted after him. "When you've sorted things out, I'd really like to meet your girlfriend!"

---

Shortly after seven that evening, someone knocked on Kate's door. She looked through the peephole, then quickly opened.

"Tony", she said. "Hey!"

"Hi. Bad time?"

"Not at all. Come on in."

She opened the door further and wanted to step aside, but Tony caught her around the waist and pulled her to him. Kate soon overcame her surprise, grabbed the lapels of his jacket and lifted her face to him when he leaned in to kiss her. She kicked the door shut, paying less attention to it than to her hands, which moved under Tony's jacket to push it off his shoulders.

"This friend of yours …", Tony said between kisses. "Do you think she has time this weekend?"

"Maybe", Kate whispered against his lips. "Why?"

"Because I'd like to meet her."

Kate drew back. "Really?"

Tony knew what he was agreeing to was a double date, but Kate already sounded so excited that he merely nodded.

"I'll call her tomorrow", Kate said, lifting one hand to his cheek and smiling at him. "I'm sorry for having been so difficult yesterday."

Tony chuckled. "You call it difficult, I call it challenging."

tbc...


	8. Deciding

**Chapter 8****: Deciding**

The evening with Kate's friend Hannah and her boyfriend Laurence was taking place on Saturday at Kate's apartment. Tony went there half an hour before the guests would arrive to help Kate with the preparations. But she had the food already in the oven and the table was set, which left little to do for Tony.

When Kate went into the bedroom to change into different clothes, Tony didn't stay on the couch, of course, but sneaked in behind her. Kate knew he was there, but pretended looking at the clothes that were splayed out across the bed. Then, quickly, she grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at Tony, hitting his head.

Kate was already reaching for a second pillow, but Tony felt he had a right to defend himself and soon they were having the pillow fight of the century. It ended with Tony lying flat on the floor and Kate straddling his hips, hitting him on the head with a throw pillow. Then Tony suddenly sat up and grabbed Kate, pinning her arms to her body, before he flipped her over onto her back. When she tried to get her hands free he caught her wrists and pinned them to the floor above her head.

"Now, Ms. Secret Service, looks like you've got no way out", he teased.

"Actually, Mr. NCIS, there would be many ways out, but all of them include hurting you in places I'd rather not damage without a really good reason."

Tony was not in the least intimidated by her threat. "Kiss me and I'll let you go", he said.

Kate smiled, lifted her head and kissed him on the lips.

Tony shook his head. "That was not good enough", he said. "Wanna try again?"

"Not good enough, eh?" Kate pouted. She freed one of her hands, lifted it to the nape of Tony's neck and pulled him down for a kiss that might have burned a whole into the floor beneath them.

They got so involved in the kiss that when Kate's doorbell rang, they didn't immediately register where that strange sound came from. When they found back to reality and realized that their guests had arrived, Kate swore and struggled to get back to her feet.

"I still need to change!" she exclaimed. "Can you buzz them up, please?"

"Sure."

Hannah, Kate's friend, was an average looking blonde with a very friendly smile and a soft voice. Her boyfriend Laurence was very tall, with dark blond hair that started getting thinner. His handshake was firm and he was very polite and also self-confident. Kate had said that Laurence was a successful lawyer that had made himself known with some recent cases that he had won.

Kate, who had changed into an elegant skirt and a blouse, made the introductions then asked everybody to sit down on the couch to have a glass of wine before dinner.

When Kate asked Laurence about his last case, it became obvious that he liked talking about himself because he immediately started a very detailed presentation of his defense strategy. After ten minutes his girlfriend had pity with Kate and Tony and interrupted Laurence by saying:

"Kate, whatever you have prepared for dinner really smells delicious! What did you make?"

Kate, immediately jumping on the cue, said that it was now time to sit down at the table and while the men followed her suggestion, Kate and Hannah went into the kitchen to get the food. When they came back, Laurence had engaged Tony in a conversation about NCIS and was asking curious questions about the JAG corps, which Tony had difficulty answering, because he hadn't been with NCIS long enough to know so many details.

The women soon started to talk about the concert of some famous piano player that Hannah and Laurence had been to last weekend. Tony was glad when Laurence stopped asking him questions and instead joined the women's conversation. For some minutes, Tony concentrated on his food because he had absolutely nothing to add to the topic of classical music and was quite happy with this arrangement. But after some time he felt he had to take part in the conversation at least a little bit and paid attention to find out what the others were currently talking about.

Hannah and Laurence were looking for a house in the suburbs and Hannah was now describing the living room and kitchen of the last house they had visited.

"And the neighborhood is so friendly, it's perfect for children", Hannah added.

"I can imagine", Kate sighed.

"Don't you think it's going to be a great difference to live in the quiet suburbs when you're used to living in the city?" Tony wanted to know.

"Of course", Laurence agreed. "We've thought about it. Getting to the theatres and galleries is going to be more difficult."

Tony nodded, as if that was what he had been thinking about.

"But, you see, Hannah and I both think that we are old enough to finally settle down for this new kind of life. It will be different in the beginning, but we are sure that we'll soon love it."

Tony smiled and nodded again. He was sure that those two had had their fair share of parties - but only if you included tea at grandma's into the count.

Over dessert Kate, Hannah and Laurence talked about a book Tony had never heard of. He concentrated on his cake and tried not to look too stupid. He hoped that the evening was soon going to be over, but then Kate opened another bottle of wine and he had to suppress a sigh of despair.

"Hannah, have you already told Kate about the spa we're going to go to?" Laurence asked some time later.

"Oh my god, no I haven't!" Hannah said excitedly. "Kate, that place is amazing! Laurence and I were there some months ago – I must have told you about it. And we are going to go there again in one month over the weekend. You know, there are still rooms left in the hotel. Wouldn't it be great if we could go there together, I mean, you, Tony, Laurence and I?"

"Oh, that sounds so good!" Kate sighed.

Tony was suddenly alert. A whole weekend together with Laurence and Hannah, the perfect couple? No way!

"Tony, what do you think?" Kate asked him. "Wouldn't it be great to be able to relax for a whole weekend?"

"Uh … actually, relaxing is what I always do during the weekend", Tony joked.

Laurence and Hannah laughed feebly, Kate didn't, she only looked at him.

"But relaxing at the spa is really something different", Laurence said. "You should think about it."

"You know, Larry", Tony said, "I'm not sure if I'm going to have time. My working hours are not exactly regular. My boss might call me in on a Friday night. It would be such a pity if I had to cancel the trip on short notice."

"But you'll see if you can talk to your boss, right?" Kate asked, looking at him with a very stern expression.

"Uh, sure", Tony muttered. But Kate didn't stop staring at him. What? She couldn't really blame him for trying to evade a weekend together with Laurence the Wonderful!

Thank god, some minutes later, Hannah pointed out that it was already getting late and she and Laurence got ready to leave. The women kissed each other on the cheeks, the men shook hands, then they were out the door.

Tony turned to Kate, took her hands in his and wanted to pull her closer, but she freed her hands and turned around. "I'll go and clean up the kitchen", she informed him and marched off.

Tony watched her go in utter surprise. What was wrong?

He gave her some minutes to calm down – in reality he was afraid to go in there right away – then he slowly approached the door that stood slightly ajar. He could hear Kate stack the dishes into the dishwasher – she was making quite a lot of noise. Hesitantly, he entered.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"No, I got it. Thank you", she said without looking up.

"Okay", Tony said slowly. Then he sighed. "Kate, if you want to go to a spa, I can take you whenever you want."

"I thought your working hours were too unpredictable to make such promises?" she replied coolly.

"Aw, come on!" he pleaded. "They got me by surprise with it. I said the first thing that came to my mind."

"Yeah, I know. You always act on the first thought that crosses your mind – and if you don't, then the thoughts you have still show very clearly on your face." She turned around to face him now, leaning against the closed door of the dishwasher, hands on the counter on both sides of her hips. "It was the same thing when I asked you if you wanted to accompany me to visit my family. Do you really think I didn't notice that you almost choked on your breakfast?"

"Kate, you can't blame me for being nervous about the prospect of getting to know your family after only four weeks."

Kate shrugged. "That's true. But we've been together for two months now, and still I see the panic in your face when you think you might have to get involved in some kind of couple's activity."

"I didn't panic because of that … I … Laurence is not really the kind of guy I'd want to spend an entire weekend with. That's why I tried to get out of it."

"Are you sure?" Kate asked.

"Yes! I'm sure Laurence is a nice guy, and I really liked Hannah, but … come on … the things they talked about, the life they live, that's not what we do. We enjoy being together and we don't need a house in the suburbs or a Volvo to know that we do. Why plan so far ahead? It kills all the fun, don't you think?" He looked at her with a halfhearted smile, wanting to get her approval for his point of view, but she didn't react to his words. She only had her gaze fixed on the floor for some seconds, then looked up into Tony's face, before dropping her gaze down to her shoes.

"What would be the difference?" she asked quietly. "Why would you take me to a spa anytime I want, but it's a problem if we plan a trip together with some friends?"

"It's not a problem", Tony disagreed. "I just don't see why we have to make plans for so far ahead."

Kate shrugged, not looking at him. Her voice was very sad when she spoke: "Sometimes, in the night, I lie awake and imagine what you and I will do the next day or the next week – or the next month even. I really like to think that in some months we'll still be together." She smiled. "It makes me happy. Don't you ever do that?"

"I always was a person who lives in the present. I enjoy the moment." Tony shrugged. "Too many plans make me feel imprisoned."

"So if I'd ask you now what future you see for the two of us, you couldn't tell me a thing?" Kate asked.

"Kate, I already told you how much I enjoy being with you. And, seriously, I can't imagine this to change any time soon."

"But what if I tell you now that I need something more than that? What if I need to have some kind of security, to know that you won't just change your mind 'any time soon'?" Kate looked at him almost imploringly and now Tony was the one to look away.

"Tony", Kate said. "It's been two months. That's a point in a relationship where you should be able to decide if you are serious about it or if it won't get any further than that. Can't you understand how vulnerable it makes me feel not to know if you see a future for us? How dangerous it is for me to get too deeply involved with you while I can't be sure if you will get bored in some weeks?"

"I don't know what to say", Tony said very quietly. "I don't know what you want to hear."

"I want the truth. I want to know what you are feeling and what you want the two of us to be."

"And what if I don't know?" Tony asked. He finally looked at her face and he saw that her eyes were shimmering with tears. It hurt him badly to see her like this, but he really didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he wanted and if he made the wrong decision now, he risked really hurting her.

Kate took a deep breath, but it sounded very close to a sob. Tony instinctively stepped closer to her and reached for her, but Kate shook her head and his hands stopped before they touched her arms.

She looked him in the eyes, never leaving his gaze when she said: "When I ask you what future you see for us and whether I can risk letting myself fall in love with you and you say _you don't know_ – don't you think that's answer enough for me?"

"Kate, don't …" Tony tried to intervene, but Kate interrupted him.

"No", she said. "All this time I've seen how uncertain you are. I don't doubt that I mean something to you, but you are definitely not sure if you want to be in a relationship with me. I chose to ignore it so far, but it can't go on like this. I need you to make a decision and I need you to make it quickly." She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again to look at him, one single tear rolled down her cheek. "I really hope you'll find out that you want to give us a chance. But if you feel that you can't, then please be honest about it."

Tony nodded mutely, almost dying with the need to kiss the tear away from her face and comfort her, but he completely understood the seriousness of the situation. He had thought that he had hidden his doubts well from her over the past weeks, but obviously she had seen right through him.

"May I say something", he asked quietly and Kate nodded. "You are right", he said. "I've had doubts. Doubts about whether I'm able to lead a real relationship. I really don't know if I have the ability to do it, you see? That's my fault, mine alone. You must never think that you did something wrong, do you hear me?"

Kate slowly nodded and a second tear followed the first one. "I think it would be best if you go now", she said quietly.

"Yeah", he whispered.

Kate slowly followed him to the door where he shrugged on his jacket and turned around to her again. He desperately wanted to touch her.

Kate had her arms crossed in front of her chest. "If you want to come back I'll be here", she said, lifting one hand to brush the dampness from her eyelids. "But don't take too long. I won't be waiting forever."

"I understand", he said. Then he gave up fighting and leaned in to kiss her goodbye. He half expected her to draw back or to push him away, but she didn't. Tony gently kissed her lips, drawing out the moment when he would have to leave for as long as possible. He was very aware of the fact that this might be the last time he kissed her and he tried to memorize every single impression.

But then he had to draw back. The last thing he saw before he left the apartment were Kate's tear filled eyes.

* * *

When Abby saw Tony on Monday morning she immediately knew that something was terribly wrong with him. He came into her lab with no orders from Gibbs and simply walked around between her machines and tables for some time. He looked completely lost.

"Tell me what's wrong", Abby said, after she had decided that she had given him enough time to start talking himself.

Slowly Tony came over to her and started to speak. He told her about everything that had happened on Saturday and Abby listened without interrupting him. When he came to the part where Kate had cried and had asked him to make a decision, Abby could see how much it all affected him.

She put one hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know", Tony sighed. "She wants a decision from me and I don't know how to make it. I want to have her back, but what if I tell her that and in a month I realize I've made the wrong decision. I would break her heart."

"This means that you have to figure out what you want before you go to her."

Tony snorted. "And how do I do that?"

"Look, Tony", Abby said gently. "As far as I understand it all, your problem is that you don't know what kind of life you want to live, right?"

Tony gave her a mixture between a shrug and a nod and Abby continued: "Then I think what you have to do is live like you used to before you met Kate – just for some days. And then see how it makes you feel."

"Hmmm …" Tony hummed, scratching his head. "That's actually not a bad idea."

Abby shrugged. "I have no idea if it will work, but I guess it's the best you can do."

"Thanks, Abby", Tony said sincerely and hugged her.

When he had left the lab, Abby shook her head and sighed. Sometimes, men could be so blind. In all his worry, Tony hadn't even realized that what all his fear came down to was not that he might be unhappy in a relationship, but that he might make Kate unhappy. And that alone let her know that Kate was far more important to him than whatever part of his life he feared he might have to give up. Maybe she should have told him that, but Abby was quite sure that at the moment Tony couldn't be convinced by rational thought. He needed to make the experience.

* * *

Determined yet he was to put Abby's plan into action, Tony couldn't start right away because he had to work late on Monday and when he got home he didn't feel like doing anything but fall into bed – which he did.

On Tuesday he went to the weekly poker game with his friends and managed to forget about his sorrow for some hours – it took a lot of beer to do it, but that was an acceptable price for some hours of peace.

During the evening they talked a lot about the game that was going to be on the next day and Tony invited the whole group over to his place to watch it on his flat screen.

That Wednesday evening was what life should be like. Uncomplicated, with shallow entertainment, fun, beer and friends. That's the life he was good at leading and he almost – almost! – managed not to think of Kate. But when his friends were gone and Tony was feeling slightly dizzy due to too much beer, he only slopped down on the couch and experienced what it felt like to be lonely. His apartment seemed to have twice its normal size and it was completely empty. He switched on the TV again to do something against the silence, but it couldn't fill the emptiness.

Tony fell asleep on his couch, but was awoken on Thursday at 5 am by his cell phone. It was Gibbs, they had a case. So Tony got off the couch, tired and unmotivated as he was, and another of the typical NCIS work marathons started.

Tony only slept for four hours in the night from Thursday to Friday and the only thing that still kept him alive was coffee. But they solved the case on Friday and he got home at a decent time. At his apartment he sat on the couch for almost an hour and stared at his phone, trying to figure out whether or not to call Kate. He only wanted to hear her voice. But if he called her she would expect him to have made a decision – which he hadn't yet. He couldn't call her just because, no matter how badly he wanted to talk to her.

Finally he went to bed, tossing and turning under the covers even though he was extremely tired. He got up early on Saturday and was glad to be able to go back to the office to finish his paper work.

Woody called him on Saturday afternoon and told him what club they would be going to that night. Tony agreed to come even though he didn't quite feel like going out. He didn't quite feel like doing anything at all. That's why he spent the rest of the afternoon and the early evening on his couch, sometimes watching TV, but most of the time only staring at the ceiling. He felt so unmotivated. Was he getting ill?

When he was out of the house and on his way to the club he overcame some of his bad mood. That's what he needed to do, right? He had to go out to finally find an answer to the question that was almost killing him at night. So Tony pulled himself together and switched into party mode. When his friends greeted him with a bottle of Vodka and a group of girls they had convinced to join them for the evening, Tony's earlier disinterest was already forgotten.

There were five girls, all of them blond, but none of them by nature, and their only means of communicating seemed to be giggling and chirping incoherent words. But their measurements absolutely made up for their lack of communicative skill.

One of them, Sadie, developed an immediate liking for Tony. She was very direct in showing it. First she asked him if he wanted to buy her a drink, which Tony, of course, agreed to. From then on she was all over him, listening to all his jokes and cop-stories and acting as if he was the greatest gift to mankind. Tony reached new heights in bragging – but Sadie really made it easy for him.

Later she wanted him to dance with her and Tony went with her. Giggling cheerfully she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor where she immediately threw herself at him, never letting the slightest distance come between their bodies. That woman knew how to move and there was no denying that he found her feminine charms attracting.

After half an hour of dancing, Sadie led him to the back of the club where a couple of couches were waiting in a dark corner. She pulled him down next to her, threw one leg over his lap and leaned in to kiss him. But the moment before their lips touched, Tony took Sadie's shoulders and pushed her away from him.

"What's wrong?" she asked confusedly.

Everything, Tony thought. Sadie was hot. And she was definitely willing. But she didn't manage to turn him on. The directness and initiative Tony had always liked in women suddenly really appalled him. Did this woman have no pride? She didn't know a thing about him; if she talked to him instead of just giggling she might find out that she didn't like him at all. After all she knew, he could be a psychopath that would kill her in her own bed. What had made her choose him tonight? Was there more to it than the fact that he belonged to the opposite sex and was fairly good-looking? Tony didn't think there was – after all, that was exactly the criteria that usually made him choose his company for the night.

How superficial could one person be?

Tony tried to sort out his feelings, but all he found out was that he was feeling nothing at all. He had almost kissed that woman seconds before and he didn't feel a thing for her – he didn't even think he liked her.

Sadie smiled seductively at him. "Do you want to go?" she asked in a smoky voice.

"Actually, yes", Tony said, fending off her hand that wanted to wander up his thigh. "But I'm going alone."

"What?"

"I'm sorry", Tony said, standing up. He walked away without looking back once.

On his way out Woody caught up with him and asked him where he was going.

"I have to get out of here", Tony said. "Sadie is back there on the couches – if you're interested …"

Then he left. Outside he took a deep breath, buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket and started walking, not paying attention to the direction he was going in. He walked for a long time, two hours almost, trying to get a clear mind, but all he ended up with was a head so full of thoughts that he wished he could just tear them out with his bare hands.

And then he had enough and stopped dead in his tracks. When he had started walking he had planned on making a list in his head, one with pros and cons, but it didn't work. He was incapable of evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of Kate's and his relationship. All he could think about was Kate and how it felt to actually be with her. His mind circled around what they had shared, impressions of single moments. How her eyes changed color when the intensity of the light changed: dark chestnut in the semi-darkness, deep hazel when it was bright daylight, and that subtle moss green when the sun was shining in her face. How it felt to run his fingers through her hair and how the texture of it changed when she came fresh from the shower and it was still damp. He remembered the taste of her lips, and not being able to taste her now felt like starving. He knew the sound of her voice could soothe him when the events of a recent case had gotten to him and her embrace would give him comfort – comfort he was in such desperate need of right now.

Tony started walking again. After some blocks he saw a cab approach and managed to stop it. He gave the driver Kate's address and sank back in his seat.

The door of her apartment building was open. It was always open. Tony had already told Kate to talk to her landlord about it, because it was really risky to pay so little attention to security, but this time he was so glad that he could enter. The elevator was on the fifth floor and Tony didn't feel like waiting for it, so he just sprinted up the stairs. When he reached Kate's floor he was out of breath and he took some seconds to catch it before he went down the corridor.

He knocked on Kate's door and waited, but got no answer. He knocked again and waited for another twenty seconds before he heard movement inside. And then he had the idea to check what time it was. Oh. 1 a.m. He must have woken her.

"Who is it?" Kate asked from the inside.

Tony stepped in front of the peep hole before he answered. "It's me, Tony. I need to talk to you."

She opened the security chain and unlocked the door then she opened it and stared out at him, not moving or speaking. She was wearing light blue pyjama pants and a white tank top. Her hair was slightly tousled. It was obvious that she had been sleeping.

"Do you have any idea how late it is?" she finally asked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about it. I just needed to see you."

Kate stared at him for some more seconds, then she stepped aside and gestured for him to come in. Relieved, Tony entered. When she closed the door, he turned to her and saw that she was holding a gun in one hand. So much to lack of security. Now she put the gun away and looked at Tony, but she couldn't hold his gaze for more than a few seconds.

Tony took in all of Kate's appearance. He could see that the last days had taken their toll on her. She looked exhausted and upset, but when she lifted her gaze to him for the fraction of a second he saw that there was a slight flicker of hope in her eyes. He wanted to pull her into his embrace and kiss her until she knew without a doubt what he was feeling. But he knew that he had to give her an explanation first.

"I'm sorry that I've taken so long", he said. "But I've made the decision you wanted."

Kate nodded. She lifted her gaze to his shortly and again he could see the hope flicker in her eyes.

"Kate", he whispered. "I was thinking so long about what I want my life to be. But I know it now. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and there's no way I'm letting you go. I can only hope that you'll take me back now, even after I hurt you so much." He waited for her to look at him, before he asked: "Do you still want me?"

At first Kate didn't react at all and Tony started feeling slightly sick because he was so scared she might send him away. But then he could see the sudden change in her posture and the next moment she moved forward, not a trace of hesitation in her movements. She went straight to him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the crook of his neck, pressing her body to his so that he could feel how much she was shaking.

Tony suddenly felt like crying. "I'm so sorry", he whispered, pulling her tightly to him and tangling the fingers of one hand in her hair. He was so glad to finally hold her again.

When they both had calmed down a little, Kate slowly released her arms from around Tony's neck and placed her hands on his shoulders. She smiled when she looked up at him and he smiled back, gently cupping her face with his hands and wiping the tears from her cheeks. Then he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, immediately feeling how his knees went weak. Kate smiled into the kiss when he started to back her up to the couch and let herself be pulled down on his lap.

She broke out of the kiss and shifted into a more comfortable position before wrapping both arms around his neck and looking at him.

"I wasn't sure if you'd come", she admitted quietly.

"I didn't know what to do", he said and shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I've never been with a woman for more than two weeks. One could say that you are my first real girlfriend. It was all new and more intense than I could have imagined and sometimes it scared me."

"Why did you never tell me that?" Kate asked, threading the fingers of one hand through the hair at the back of his head.

"I thought it would upset you", he said. "I was thinking that it would be better to keep it from you – but of course you noticed that something was wrong. So I guess what I really managed to do was making you upset by not talking to you." He lifted one hand and tenderly brushed her fringe out of her forehead, then he cupped her cheek and kissed her gently.

"I'm sorry", he said again. "The last week must have been hard for you. It definitely was for me."

Kate didn't answer. Instead she leaned in and touched her forehead to his. "How did you make your decision?" she wanted to know.

"I listened to Abby's advice", he said. "I tried to figure out what there is to the life I used to live that seems to be so important to me. I met my friends, played poker, watched games. But I was thinking about you all the time. I was thinking how great it would be if I could meet my friends and know that the next morning I could still wake up next to you."

Kate nodded, smiling at him. Tony turned his head slightly and rubbed his cheek against hers, then he leaned back and looked at her. He was going to tell her the truth now. No more lying. She was giving him a second chance and he couldn't start by lying to her. So he took a deep breath and mentally braced himself for what was coming.

"There's something else", he said. "I have to tell you even though it didn't mean a thing. I want to be honest."

"That's good" Kate said. "What is it?"

"I was in a club tonight", he started. "I met my friends and there were some women with them. I had a drink with one of them and later we danced."

Kate turned her eyes away from him and looked down at her lap while she still listened intently.

"It felt so strange to be with that woman", he said very quietly. "And then I realized I didn't want to be with her. She didn't mean a thing to me. All I wanted was to go back to you. I'm really sorry that I even went to that club. I swear to you that it will never even look at another woman again. Never."

He waited desperately for Kate to look at him again, but she stared down at her lap for what seemed to be an eternity. She didn't really look upset and not angry either, but why didn't she speak?

"Kate?" he asked carefully. "Are you angry?"

Slowly she shook her head and her eyes found his again. "I trust you", she said. "And however you look at it: I was the one who threw you out one week ago. I guess I can't reproach you with anything you did after that, can I? But, Tony?" She looked at him almost imploringly and he nodded his head as a sign for her to continue. "Are you really sure about your decision of coming back? Is this what you want?"

Tony took her face in both hands and looked her in the eyes when he said: "I've never before been so sure about anything."

Kate nodded and he knew she believed him. With a sigh of relief he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him. But Kate had something else to say. With her hands on his shoulders she pushed him back slightly and looked at him with a very serious expression on her face.

"I can forget about what you just told me", she said calmly. "Extenuating circumstances are on your side – and after all, nothing has happened between you. But I swear, if you ever touch another woman, I …" She didn't finish the sentence, but her head shortly nodded in the direction of the low cupboard on which she had placed her gun.

Tony swallowed thickly and nodded. "It won't happen", he said. "I won't disappoint your trust." He took her chin between his thumb and index finger and leaned closer. "Okay?"

"Okay", Kate whispered before closing the distance between them with a kiss. Tony responded immediately. He was so happy that Kate trusted him and – even a bit more – he was happy that he knew without a doubt that maybe for the first time in his life he could absolutely trust himself.

Some time later – they still sat on the couch in each other's arms – Kate looked at Tony and it was obvious that she had just thought of something.

"What?" he asked.

"You said before that you followed Abby's advice in this", Kate remembered. "Was this the Abby you are working with?"

Tony nodded. "She's very good at listening."

Kate smiled. "I think you should introduce us some day."

"She said the same thing", Tony replied, chuckling. "Maybe I should call her tomorrow and set up a meeting for the two of you."

"Sounds like a good idea", Kate said.

Tony kissed her temple and squeezed her gently while he smiled at the thought of Kate and Abby meeting. He was sure that they could become good friends – and then they would give him a hard time whenever he messed something up. Wasn't that a good motivation for not messing up again?

* * *

_A/N: That was the last angsty chapter for a while. I hope it wasn't too bad, but I felt I had to do it in order to keep Tony in character. What do you think?_


	9. Perfect

_Hey, I'm back. Anyone want some fluff?_

**Chapter 9: Perfect**

In the early morning hours, Kate was lying awake in bed. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move, she only concentrated on feeling the warmth that spread out from Tony's body into hers. His breathing was even. She could hear it and feel it on the crook of her neck where his face was buried. This was totally different from the nights of the past week when she had been lying awake in the night for hours and hours, feeling lonely and sad. She had cried a lot, hating herself for how she had set up an ultimatum for Tony, and had desperately wished that he would finally come back. At the same time she had told herself off because she saw herself as a modern, independent woman and didn't think that waiting desperately for a man to come back to her to make her happy was consistent with this idea. But that was exactly what she had been doing. She had stared at the phone for hours, willing it to ring, and every knock on the door had made her jump to her feet because she had hoped it might be Tony.

And then the knock had come – at 1 a.m. admittedly, but it had come. Now she was happy. Completely, utterly, can't-stop-grinning happy. And it was only because of him.

Kate moved her right arm, which was lazily draped over Tony's waist, and ran her hand up his spine and over his shoulder. For some time she enjoyed the tautness of his biceps under her hand. Tony reacted to her touch by muttering some incoherent words in his sleep and by tightening his arm around her back so that Kate was gently pressed against his body. She smiled and turned her head slightly to be able to kiss his hair. Tony often spoke in his sleep, mostly his words had something to do with work. Kate found that irresistibly cute. Now she carefully maneuvered herself some inches down the pillow until her face was on the same level as Tony's. He was still peacefully asleep and she wasn't intending to wake him – well, okay, maybe she was. But why shouldn't she have fun doing it?

Kate snuggled closer and rubbed one cheek over Tony's, feeling his scratchy stubble that made her skin tickle. She leaned in further and kissed the side of his jaw, his neck, then his shoulder. He made a deep, content noise in the back of his throat, but still didn't seem to be completely awake. Kate smiled. Her hand that was still lying on his arm moved down his ribcage, over his waist and had just reached his hip when Tony suddenly bit down on her earlobe gently and whispered: "What are you up to, woman?"

Kate chuckled and brought both hands up to cup his cheeks. "Taking advantage of my morning-after-benefits?" she answered cheekily.

"You sure it's already morning?" Tony muttered. "Seems quite dark to me."

"I'd say that's even better", she whispered. She could see Tony looking at her in the faint light that was filling the room – more from streetlamps than actual daylight. He was considering her words and obviously came to a positive conclusion because he leaned in and kissed her. It was a soft kiss, a gentle touch of their lips, full of affection and warmth. Kate melted and accepted the realization that a lot of things that she had praised herself for in the past, like not needing a man in order to lead a fulfilled life, or always being able to keep her feet on the ground even when she was emotionally involved, were becoming completely obsolete in Tony's arms. She was already so high up that she didn't even see the ground beneath her. It didn't matter. Now that she had left behind some old values, she was eager to learn something new about life – even more so because she knew that Tony would have to learn it together with her.

When they broke out of the kiss, their heads were spinning and their insides burning. They stared at each other while Kate slowly started to remember how to breathe.

"If we found it necessary to set up rules for our relationship, my first rule would be to be woken up like that every day", Tony said.

"Which would mean that you would be late for work every day", Kate added, before she gave in to the burning in her abdomen and kissed him again.

"However", Tony whispered over her lips.

* * *

"Hi, Abs."

"Tony? Is that you?" the young woman shouted into the phone.

Tony winced and held the phone away from his ear. "Yeah. What's going on? What's that noise?"

"Uh … that's nothing. Wait a second."

The mixture of music and loud voices was becoming fainter, Abby obviously was moving away from the distraction. Then she spoke again: "Okay, what's up?"

"What are you doing this evening?" Tony asked.

"I have no plans, why?"

"Because I'd like to introduce you to somebody."

"Oooh! And that somebody isn't by any chance a woman named Kate?"

Tony smiled. Of course Abby had looked right through him. "She'd like to meet you", he said simply.

"Tony!" Abby cheered. "You did it! You made your decision!"

"Yeah, I did."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"Ooooh! It's still fresh. What did she say?"

"If you come over tonight, you can ask her yourself. What do you say? Pizza at my place, around seven?"

"Sounds good. I'll call you later for directions."

After Tony had ended the call he took the now full pot out of the coffee machine and filled his mug, then added sugar and cream. He heard the sound of the shower end and some minutes later Kate came into the kitchen wearing a bathrobe and toweling her hair. Tony handed her a mug of coffee with cream and a half spoon of sugar and got a quick kiss in return.

"I phoned Abby", he said.

"What did she say?"

"She's coming to my place tonight. It was strange though, it sounded like she was in the middle of a party."

"At ten a.m.?"

"Don't ask me." He shrugged.

Kate sat down at the kitchen table and took a sip from her coffee.

"Do you know that you don't have any food in your kitchen?" Tony asked her.

Kate smiled apologetically. "I was working a lot last week. And yesterday I came home from a double shift and was too tired to go grocery shopping."

Tony joined her at the table and watched how her wet hair fell on her shoulders in soft curls. He reached out a hand and touched a strand of it, fascinated by its texture. He bent closer. Kate smelled of soap and shampoo and she looked gorgeous coming fresh from the shower. He brushed her hair aside and kissed the side of her neck, licking away the small droplets of water that had fallen from her hair. Kate cupped his cheek to bring his face up to hers and kissed him softly.

"We could go shopping together", Tony suggested when he was sitting on his chair again. "And then we cook an early dinner."

"Sounds good." Kate smiled, then lifted her mug. "But coffee comes first", she said.

"Of course it does."

They went to the grocery shop at the corner that Kate frequented regularly. Kate had made a list of what she needed, but on the way there Tony kept listing other things that he said she needed, junk food, mostly.

"Tony, I don't eat chili enchiladas", she said, when they entered the shop.

"Why not?" he asked incredulously.

"Because that stuff does terrible things to your body. It's unhealthy."

"Then what about Snowballs?"

"That's colored sugar", she said.

"Yeah, but it's tasty colored sugar", Tony replied, unimpressed.

Kate sighed. "Go on, buy your junk food. But don't come complaining to me when you suddenly weigh two hundred and fifty pounds."

"Ha!" Tony exclaimed. "The men in my family can eat anything they want and they don't put on weight."

Kate gave him critical look with raised eyebrows and pinched him in the ribs with her right index finger. "Hmm", she hummed thoughtfully. "Are you sure this was already there when we met?" she asked.

"What?" Tony started pinching his ribs with his fingers – until he saw the mischievous glint in Kate's eyes. Glaring at her he stepped towards her, but Kate only giggled and vanished behind a shelf filled with pasta. Tony grinned. Since when was Kate willing to play childish games in public? Hehe, the hunt was on!

Tony went around the shelf the other way, but Kate was already gone. He looked around for a sign of her and heard hasty footsteps in the next corridor. He took a shortcut through the vegetable section to cut off her escape way and caught her behind the freezer. She was now caught between milk and yogurt on the left and soft drinks on the right. With no way out she lifted both hands in shoulder height.

"Truce?" she suggested, smiling sweetly at him.

"Uh-uh", Tony replied, approaching her step by step. When he was standing right in front of her he reached for her and pulled her body against his. "Gotcha", he whispered, before his lips descended upon hers.

When they finally managed to get the shopping done, they had spent more than half an hour in the small shop. The employees were already throwing annoyed looks their way because they were making a lot of noise and wouldn't stop chasing each other around the shelves. Kate felt childish, but it was a good feeling. She hadn't had so much fun in ages.

On the short way back home they calmed down a bit. They were carrying one bag each and were walking in comfortable silence. At home, Tony started preparing his mother's famous pasta sauce while Kate took care of the salad. All the while she was stealing side glances at Tony. She couldn't help herself: she had always found that men who could cook were sexy – even more so when they were willing to help with the washing up afterwards, but she wasn't sure if she could bring Tony to do it.

But then they didn't even get through to washing up because lunch ended when Kate playfully let her hand wander up Tony's thigh. He reacted by pulling her to him for a fiery kiss and she ended up straddling his lap while Tony's hands were sliding under her shirt. They soon left the table and spent the rest of lunch time in the bedroom.

In the afternoon Tony went back to his apartment to clean up before the two women would get there in the evening and Kate stayed behind at her place to do her laundry before the next working week started.

When he was gone she went into the bedroom to get the basket with her dirty laundry, but then she noticed that the bed wasn't made. Kate went over to it to straighten the duvet and put the pillows in order. But then the scent of Tony's cologne that was still lingering on the sheets made her stop what she was doing. She sat down on the bed, hugged one of the pillows and buried her face in it. It was enough to make the butterflies inside her stomach flutter, and a silly grin appeared on her face. God, she missed him even though he had just left through the door five minutes ago. Was that normal? Or was that what all the people were constantly talking about – what movies and songs and poems were about?

Still smiling, Kate put the pillow down and ran her hands over its surface. One week ago, before she had sent Tony away with her ultimatum, she had come to the conclusion that she couldn't go on with their relationship as it had been. Her feelings for Tony had become stronger and stronger, but she had known that she couldn't let herself get in too deep without having some kind of security. Of course, there never was absolute security when feelings were involved, but at least she'd had to know if Tony was serious. Now she knew he was and she finally was able to really live out the feelings that were already filling every fiber of her. It still was a huge step and there were no guarantees that it would work, but she wasn't afraid any more. On the contrary, she was so happy and felt so at ease that she would have liked to shout her feelings out into the world.

Putting the pillow back in its place she finally stood up from the bed to get her domestic chores done. Strange, even house work suddenly appeared enjoyable to her.

* * *

Kate got to Tony's place shortly after seven. While she waited for him to buzz her up in front of the door to his apartment building someone came up behind her and looked over her shoulder at the names next to the intercom. Kate only had to look at the other visitor once to know that she had just met Abby. The woman was wearing her black hair in pig tails like Tony had described it to her, her T-shirt and jacket were black and her belt buckle had the form of a skull. The best indication, perhaps, was the spiked dog collar around her neck.

Kate smiled and turned around to the other woman. "You must be Abby", she said.

"Oh, then you are Kate!" Abby said excitedly, held out a hand to her and shook it enthusiastically when Kate took it. "I'm so glad to meet you!"

"Me too", Kate replied. "I've heard a lot of stories about you."

At that moment Tony finally pressed the buzzer and Kate pushed open the door, then held it open for Abby.

"I'm so glad that things are okay between you and Tony", Abby said while they were waiting for the elevator. "But I know you'd finally work it out."

"I'm glad, too", Kate sighed. "And I'm really grateful for whatever you did or said to Tony. I think he really needed someone to talk to."

When the doors of the elevator slid open, they both stepped in and Kate pressed the button.

"It was easy", Abby said, grinning at her. "The way he's talking about you I'm sure that you are the perfect woman for him. He's really in love with you. All he needed to do was realize it – and he did that alone."

Kate smiled, but was pretty sure that she had blushed slightly. Tony in love with her? After what had happened the last time when she had asked a sign of commitment from him, she had definitely decided against pushing him into saying the words to her. After the things he had said last night she didn't need any more proof of how important she was to him. But still, Abby's words – being the judgment of a neutral person – made her kind of giddy.

They reached Tony's floor and walked down the corridor to his door. He was already waiting and smiled when he saw both of them arrive together.

"I guess you already introduced yourselves", he said.

"We've already had a nice talk", Kate replied and smiled when Abby pulled Tony into a tight hug and congratulated him for his good decision. When Abby had let him go, Kate stepped in front of Tony, lay her hands on his shoulders and kissed him lightly on the lips. He encircled her waist with his arms and playfully nibbled her bottom lip, which didn't help at all to get rid of her giddyness. But he soon let her go and they followed Abby into the apartment.

Over pizza and beer – Kate held back her comment about healthy food – they all got to know each other better by talking about their past and recent happenings in their lives. Kate would have never thought that she would learn to like the young goth so much in such a short time, but after one hour already she felt like she could tell Abby anything. The young woman was just the right amount of crazy and yet "normal" enough to do ordinary things like going on shopping trips or just hanging out with her. Also, Abby's mother sounded just like Kate's and they had a lot of fun comparing some embarrassing childhood experiences that had to do with their mothers. Soon most of the conversation was taking place between Kate and Abby and Tony kept repeating that he should have set up the meeting only between the two of them so he could've spent the evening playing pool with his friends. The third time he said that, Kate showed him why his friends could never be as good company for the evening as she by snaking one arm around his neck and placing a burning kiss on his lips. He was silent after that.

Later Kate and Abby decided to have lunch together one day of the following week and they exchanged their cell phone numbers.

"And when we meet I'll show you some of the motifs I chose for my next tattoo", Abby said excitedly. Half an hour ago she had been going on about her problems to decide what her next tattoo should look like. "I absolutely need your opinion."

An interested "Hmmm" came from Tony's direction and both women looked at him. "You know", he said slowly. "I've always thought that tattoos look extremely sexy on women – if they are in the right places."

"And these places would be?" Kate asked pointedly.

Tony grinned. "Anywhere you normally can't see it – so you have to go on exploration to look for it." Saying that he trailed one hand down Kate's back and let it rest on her hip.

Shaking her head amusedly, Kate leaned into him and relaxed against his side. "I'd like to see the motifs you've chosen so far", she said to Abby.

"Why is my opinion not being asked?", Tony now wanted to know.

"Because telling Abby that she should have your name tattooed on her body wouldn't help the matter", Kate replied dryly and twitched when Tony pinched her side.

When they walked Abby to the door later to say goodbye, Abby hugged Kate tightly and they exchanged kisses on the cheeks. Tony also got another hug and then Abby left with Kate's promise to call her the next day to arrange their lunch.

"I told you she's great", Tony said when he had closed the door behind Abby.

"And you were absolutely right", Kate said, smiling as she stepped into his open arms and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. With a deep, content sigh she closed her eyes and loosely put her arms around his waist. She felt Tony kiss the top of her head and one of his hands gently massaged the back of her neck, making her sink deeper into him and moan silently in pleasure.

After some time he put the thumb and index finger of his left hand under her chin to tilt her face up to him. When she looked into his eyes and saw the emotion in them, her breath hitched in her throat and her heart did a painful thud. She saw him come closer and her eyes fluttered shut right before their lips met. It was a soft and almost careful kiss at first but then Tony's tongue brushed over hers and she had to tighten her hold on him in order to keep her knees from giving in. She wrapped one arm around his neck to hold her up and felt how one of his arms went around her back to pull her more tightly to him.

She wanted the kiss to go on forever, but at some point she had to come up for air – feelings were making her chest so tight that she felt she couldn't breathe anymore. When Tony touched his forehead to hers, she smiled and cupped the sides of his neck with her hands. "Today was perfect", she whispered. "Everything about it."

"Yeah", Tony sighed. "Perfect days have kept coming along ever since I met you."

Kate took a deep breath to calm down her overreacting heart. How could one single man be so damn charming? For some time he only held her close and swayed her softly as if he could hear a song playing in the distance, but then he squeezed her gently and spoke again:

"I need to tell you something", he whispered into her hair and Kate nodded silently, biting her lower lip. "I want you to know that you've changed everything for me", Tony continued. "And that you made something special out of my ordinary life. And that's amazing since I never even believed in it."

"In what?" Kate asked softly.

He pressed his lips to her forehead and didn't speak for a long moment. Then he gave her a whispered answer: "Love. I didn't believe in love."

Kate held her breath, but didn't interrupt him.

"I didn't doubt that it existed, I just never believed it would happen to me – or if it happened, that it would change anything. But it does change things. It makes my life feel more important."

"It makes everything feel right", Kate added in a whisper.

Tony stroked her hair and she could feel him nod. Then he leaned back slightly and looked at her, stroking her cheek with one hand. "I love you, Kate", he said solemnly. Then he bent closer and whispered into her ear: "And I'm totally crazy about you."

Kate smiled at his boyish expression when he said these last words. She lifted a shaking hand up to his face and had to lick her dry lips before she could give him an answer.

"I love you, too", she said, and his faze lit up in the most radiant smile she had ever seen on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground in a hug that almost squeezed the air out of her lungs. She laughed and when they kissed she stopped bothering whether her feet were on the ground or whether she was able to breathe. He loved her. And this fact made modern, emancipated Kate the happiest she had ever been.


	10. Thanksgiving

_A/N: Great thanks to Mandi (AliasCSINYFriendsER) for betain' this chapter. It sounds so much better now! And another great thanks to all my reviewers - you're amazing!_

_Disclaimer: NCIS does not belong to me and I'm not making any money with this._

**Chapter 10: Thanksgiving**

With a last look around his bedroom Tony closed the zipper of his travel bag and lifted it off the bed. He was quite sure there was something he had forgotten. But seriously, what other than clothes and toiletries could he need on a two day trip? Normally Tony didn't worry much about packing. But this time he was nervous because of the trip and he wanted to be well prepared.

Tony was going to spend Thanksgiving – which was the next day – and the day after at Kate's parents' house in Indiana. He had started feeling nervous about two weeks ago. Then his edginess had significantly increased the closer the holiday came. This week he had prayed every night that they would get a really difficult case that would keep them occupied even over the holidays so he couldn't go with Kate. But then again he didn't want to stand Kate up. She had been talking about nothing but their Thanksgiving together for two weeks – maybe it wasn't a coincidence that the beginning of Kate's anticipation coincided with that of Tony's nervousness.

So Tony was nervous - anxious almost - but at the same time he knew that he was being stupid. He'd always known that at some point he'd have to meet Kate's family, and the problem wasn't that he didn't want to, he did. They were important to Kate and he'd like to meet them. But at the same time he was anxious about all the things he imagined might go wrong. What if they hated him? Kate had three older brothers and two of them were going to be there for Thanksgiving. He had some experience with older brothers and from that he could tell that they could be really protective when it came to their baby sisters. Not to mention, fathers of only one daughter. Tony was pretty sure that if the three men worked together they could make him disappear without a trace.

But the person that scared him most was the mother. He had no experience with mothers. What if she didn't like him and started to work against him? He was sure that Kate would defend him, but it could still put a strain on their relationship. Things were going great between them; he really didn't need any complications now!

Sighing, Tony grabbed his keys and patted the pocket of his jacket to see if he had his cell phone then he took his bag and left his apartment. He was going to walk to Kate's place; from there they would take a cab to the airport and take the 8 o'clock flight to Indianapolis. Kate's father was going to pick them up at the airport and take them home to Greenwood. The thought of that car ride had already haunted Tony in his dreams last night.

Tony reached Kate's place at the same moment as the cab and he waited on the sidewalk for Kate to come down. Two minutes later she arrived – with the biggest suitcase Tony had ever seen.

"Oh my god, woman, what do you have in there?" he asked, walking over to the door to help her. "Is there still anything left in your closet upstairs?"

"That's not just my clothes," Kate said, poking Tony in the ribs for the stupid comment he'd made. "I'm bringing presents for the children because I don't know if I'll make it home for Christmas. It's kind of a tradition."

When Tony took the suitcase from her, she used her now free hands to cup the sides of his neck and kiss him on the lips. She beamed at him. Tony sighed. She was really happy.

When they were sitting inside the cab, Tony looked at Kate. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes. Are you?" She gave him an inquisitive look. She knew how nervous he was because of the visit to her family. Smiling reassuringly at him, she bent over and caught his lips in a soft kiss. "You're not worried, are you?" she asked. "They are going to like you."

Tony smiled at her, but it was not very convincing. Then the cab drove off and Tony's stomach did a little back flip. They were on their way now.

Traffic was on their side and they got to the airport early. Kate had to check in her giant suitcase and they had to wait some time in the queue, and after that they had to go through all the security checks. It helped a lot that they both had their badges with them. All the while Tony was making a list of questions in his head that he absolutely needed to ask Kate later during the flight. He wanted to be well prepared when they reached Indiana.

As soon as they had boarded the plane, found their seats and had stowed away their carry-ons, Tony started with the first question on his list.

"Kate, listen, there's something I haven't asked you yet. When we are at your parents' place, are we going to be allowed to sleep in the same bed? We are, aren't we?" His eyes were pleading her to say yes.

But Kate only looked at him in shock. "You are not going to tell my parents and brothers that we're already having sex, are you?" she asked worriedly.

Tony's heart almost stopped when he heard her say that, and he started to stutter: "Uhm … I … I wasn't … I don't …" He broke off when Kate started to giggle.

Tony glared at her. "It's not funny to make jokes about such a thing," he told her, crossing his arms in front of his chest and pouting.

"Sorry," Kate gasped, still laughing. "You should have seen your face! Tony, of course we'll be allowed to sleep in the same bed. We'll get the guest room, there's a double bed in there and no one will think badly of us because of it."

"Good," Tony said, relaxing a bit. Then he went to the next question on his list: "Can you tell me the names of your brothers and their families again?"

"Sure. Pat and Sean are the two who are going to be there. Cam and his family didn't want to come because Cam's wife is going to have her second baby soon, and she didn't feel up to the journey. Pat is the oldest. He was married, but they got divorced and his wife moved to New Jersey with their daughter Hannah, who's seven."

"Is Hannah going to be there?"

"No, she's spending Thanksgiving with her mother." When Tony nodded, Kate continued: "Sean is coming with his whole family: his wife Marie, and their twin-boys Zach and Cory."

"They are four, right?"

"Yes, and they can be pretty exhausting."

"I'm good with boys, they all love me."

Kate bit her bottom lip to hold back the comment. She could imagine very well why boys liked Tony. But she just smiled at him and when he reached out one hand and placed it on her thigh, she took it and squeezed his fingers.

"Right then, one more thing," Tony said. "Your dad is going to pick us up, right?"

"Yeah, my mom doesn't like airports. She says they are too stressful for her."

"Okay, uh … so we are going to spend some time in the car with your dad … and …"

"A little more than half an hour."

"Yeah, but still, what can I talk to him about? I mean, what does he like, what does he do – oh, he's retired, right?"

"Yes, he is. And don't worry, you'll get along well. If it helps you, I can do the talking."

"Then he'll think I'm dumb or disinterested or …"

"He won't think that, Tony."

"But what if …?"

"Tony, my dad is okay, he won't do anything bad to you." Kate squeezed his hand reassuringly. "And if he does, then I definitely won't be talking to him for a month."

"Oh, thanks a lot, sweetheart."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Obviously Tony really was a bit afraid of meeting her father. It was sweet that he had still been willing to come with her. Kate leaned her head on Tony's shoulder and laced her fingers with his. This position was not exactly comfortable on the airplane chairs with an armrest between them, but she stayed where she was. After a moment Tony's free hand came up to stroke her hair and he bent his head to kiss her forehead.

* * *

When they had collected Kate's suitcase, they followed the flow of passengers outside into the area where families and friends were waiting for them. Tony was pulling the suitcase while Kate was looking for her father in the crowd.

"There he is!" she said after only one minute and strode off into the direction she had been pointing at. Tony followed right behind her and watched as she approached a tall man in a grey coat. He had thick, short dark hair and bushy eyebrows. His eyes were dark and shone with an intensity that seemed to burn its way into the person they were looking at. At least Tony felt like it when Kate's father stared at him - the young man who was obviously following his daughter. Tony immediately felt a lump build in his throat, but he tried to swallow it while he watched Kate hug her father. The man's expression softened when he held his daughter in his arms and Tony knew that the stories Kate had told him about her loving father hadn't been exaggerated - but would that make life easier or more difficult for him?

Tony stepped next to Kate and she immediately introduced him: "Dad, this is Tony DiNozzo. Tony, this is my father, Benjamin Todd."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Tony said, almost flinching when Mr. Todd's large hand closed around his. The man's handshake was like a vice.

They left the airport together and climbed into the Todd car. Tony let Kate have the passenger seat – he was glad to sit in the back, as far away from her father's imploring gaze as possible. Throughout the short ride, Kate and her father made easy conversation, about how her work was going and what had been going on in Indiana in the past months. Kate included Tony in the conversation whenever their private life was concerned, but he was careful not to say anything that could make her father think of the physical part of their relationship. He was also very determined not to say anything stupid or inappropriate so that he thought twice about every word he said and ended up stuttering and stumbling over everything that came out of his mouth.

He was very glad when Mr. Todd pulled up in front of a nice one-family house. It had a garden with a big tree in the middle and a white picket fence around it. Some windows on the ground floor were illuminated, so it was very likely that Kate's mother was still up.

Tony was quick to get out of the car and open Kate's door. She took the hand he offered her and squeezed it because she could tell that he was nervous. All three of them walked up to the front door, but they didn't have to knock because the door opened the moment they reached it and Tony saw the slender frame of a woman in her fifties standing behind it, clutching the ends of a woolen plaid to her chest. "Come in, come in, quickly," she said, gesturing at them. "It's freezing outside."

Tony stepped inside behind Kate and watched as the woman, who must be Kate's mother, of course, closed the door and turned towards them with a huge smile on her face. First she hugged Kate, and Tony noticed that the two women were almost exactly the same height and also had a very similar build. Also their hair was similar, but that of the older woman was more of a hazel color, not the deep brown of Kate's. Then Kate's mother turned towards Tony and he noticed that her features didn't resemble those of her daughter at all. Mrs. Todd had blue eyes, a very thin face and a short straight nose. She was attractive, but Tony didn't think she had ever been as beautiful as her daughter.

"Mom, this is Tony," Kate said, placing one hand on his arm. "Tony, this is my mother, Pamela."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am," Tony said, shaking her hand and returning her smile.

"Forget about the 'Ma'am' right away," Pamela said in an extremely friendly tone. "Please, call me Pam. I'm so glad that you managed to accompany Kate."

"I was looking forward to it very much," Tony said.

Pam looked at him happily and suggested they sit down in the living room. Tony had hoped that they would get out of it because it was so late, but of course he couldn't say no when Pam asked. So they all walked through the open doorway that led into the living room. The room was large, but cozy with expensive-looking wooden furniture, a huge couch, two armchairs and a large bookshelf that occupied the whole back wall of the room.

Kate's father sat down in one of the armchairs, Kate's mother in the other, so the couch was left to Tony and Kate. Kate took Tony's hand and he squeezed her fingers a little more tightly than necessary. She led him over to the couch and pulled him down next to her, making sure that she was the one who was sitting closer to her father. When they were seated, Tony let go of Kate's hand. _Great, now I'm already afraid to touch her in front of her father!_ he thought.

"Kate already told us so many stories about you the last time she was here," Pam said.

Tony smiled. "She also talks about her family, often. It's almost as if I already know you."

"Kate says you work for NCIS," Mr. Todd said, skipping the formalities.

"That's right, sir," Tony answered politely.

"What did you do before that?"

"I was a cop in Baltimore."

"Why did you decide to join a federal agency?"

"Because being an investigator is what I'm good at. And I thought that at NCIS, I could do more with that talent."

"What are the perspectives of a job like that?"

"Dad!" Kate said, trying to intervene because she could tell that Tony was feeling uneasy.

"It's alright, Kate," Tony said quickly and turned back to her father. "I'm still an approbatory agent," he explained. "But my probation will be over next month and that will include a pay raise. Then, after some years of experience in the job, I could get my own team and lead my own investigations."

Mr. Todd nodded, staring at Tony like a cat would stare at a foot lame mouse.

"Why did you decide to be a policeman in the first place?" Mr. Todd wanted to know. "Is your father one?"

"No," Tony replied, almost laughing at the absurdity of that idea. "No, my father is a businessman."

"Didn't he want you to take over his business?"

"He did," Tony said, hoping that Kate's father would leave it at that. But of course he didn't.

"Why didn't you?"

"Because it never was what I wanted to do. My father was never happy with his work, and I didn't want to end up like that."

Kate looked at Tony in surprise. She had never heard him put it that way.

"What does your father think of his son being a policeman?"

"I am not a policeman, I am a federal agent," Tony corrected him. "The answer to your question: My father didn't approve of my choice of profession. But it was not his decision to make – it was mine."

After that, Mr. Todd and Tony stared at each other for a long moment. The silence was getting awkward, so Kate decided to end it.

"You know, mom, dad, the flight has been pretty exhausting. And it's getting late." She yawned. "Would you mind if we go to bed now and continue the talk tomorrow, when everybody is here?"

"Of course," Pam said sympathetically. "You must be very tired. Kate, show Tony where you are going to sleep. We'll have enough time to catch up in the morning."

Now everybody stood up and wished each other a good night. Kate kissed her parents, then took Tony's hand and led him back into the hall and up the stairs. When Tony looked back, he saw that Mr. Todd was still watching him. Tony was relieved when they reached the first floor and couldn't be seen from the living room anymore. They walked down a corridor and Kate opened the door at the end of it. Switching on the light, she dropped her bag to the floor and turned around to face Tony. They were standing in a small, comfortable bedroom with a large bed that looked freshly made.

"This is the guest room," Kate said. "The bathroom is outside in the corridor, the first door on the right."

"Is your parents' bedroom downstairs?"

"Yes. There's enough room in this house, so we won't get into each other's way."

Tony smiled at her and brushed his hand over her back as he carried his bag over to the bed. Instead of starting to unpack it, he sat down on the edge of the bed and let his gaze wander around the room. Kate walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" she asked.

Tony wound an arm around her back and pulled her down on his lap. He encircled her waist with both arms and touched his forehead to hers. "I'm okay," he said. "I was prepared for being interrogated."

"Yeah, but my dad sometimes sounds like a former CIA agent," Kate sighed.

"You sure he isn't CIA?"

Kate chuckled. She put her arms around Tony's shoulders and held on to him for a long moment, feeling how he relaxed in her arms. "He's so protective of me because I'm his only daughter - and his youngest child. You mustn't think badly of him because of it."

"I don't," Tony assured her. He cupped her cheek with one hand and captured her lips in a short, sweet kiss. Kate hummed silently in pleasure and felt goose bumps rise on her arms when his hands wandered lightly over her back.

"Tony?" she whispered.

"Hm?"

"I'm really happy that you came with me this time. I hope you'll enjoy the time here."

"I'm sure I will. I do want to get to know your family." He kissed the side of her neck and her shoulder, marveling at how delicate her body felt in his arms.

"Tony?"

He raised his head to look at her. "Yes?"

"I love you. Very much."

Tony smiled fondly at her and kissed her again, more thoroughly this time. "Will you still say that if in two days your father tells you not to see me ever again?" he asked with a half smile.

"Yes I will."

"And now, would you please tell me that your father won't say such a thing?"

"He won't say it. He will give you a hard time, but he will see that you make me happy and that will be all he needs to know."

"And he can't find that out without giving me a hard time first?"

"I don't think so," Kate said. "But I promise I won't leave you alone with him, okay?"

"Okay. And Kate?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too."

When she smiled brightly at him, Tony cupped her cheeks with his hands and touched her lips with his thumbs. He wished that smile was something he could capture and carry with him at all times. Thinking of it when Kate wasn't with him was enough to make him drop whatever he was doing and dial her number on his phone. She was able to talk him into anything or get anything she wanted from him when she smiled at him like that - bad enough that she had already figured that out and started using it against him when she wanted to watch something boring on TV or wanted to go to a romantic restaurant instead of ordering takeout. He was always at a loss as to what to do when she smiled. He had just told her he loved her, but her smile made him realize that it was not enough, that it did not express what he wanted to say. So he kissed her. And he knew she understood because she answered in the same way.

They kissed for a long time. Kate loved how Tony could only kiss her without asking anything else from her. He could also be very urging at times, but he understood very well when a moment asked for tenderness. The first time he had kissed her like this, like they had all the time in the world, had been on the Sunday afternoon in June when they had had the picnic in the park. The fact that he still did it, almost half a year later, told Kate all she needed to know.

* * *

At eight o'clock the next morning Kate's mother called up the stairs that breakfast was ready - and woke Tony and Kate up with it.

"How late is it?" Tony grunted.

"Eight o'clock. Breakfast is always ready at eight."

Tony muttered something that Kate couldn't understand, turned around to her and pulled her to him, rolling her under him in one fluid motion. Kate giggled and freed one arm to wrap it around his neck and pulled his head down to her.

They were terribly late for breakfast when they finally managed to get into the kitchen, but Kate's mother had left over some pancake batter so they could make fresh pancakes. Kate's parents had already left the kitchen, but Tony could hear someone rummaging around in the living room.

"That's mom," Kate said. "The turkey is already in the oven, so I guess now she's redecorating the living room. Dad is most likely in his room, reading."

"Is he the one who's reading all the books in the living room?"

Kate nodded. "He knows an awful lot about literature."

"But that has nothing to do with his job, right?"

"No. He was an employee in an insurance company all his life. The books are a hobby. But since he's retired, mom has been complaining that he doesn't do anything but read."

Tony watched how Kate flipped the pancakes. So she did know how to do it! Maybe her refusal to make pancakes at home had something to do with her knack of healthy food and not with the fact that she didn't know how to prepare them. While she made the pancakes, Tony poured coffee for them and fixed Kate's the way she liked it.

Mrs. Todd came into the kitchen some time later, sat at the table with them and engaged them in small talk while they were eating.

"Tony has a healthy appetite," she remarked at some point.

"You have no idea," Kate said with a grin. "I hope you bought a big turkey this year. With Sean, Pat AND Tony at one table, it might be gone pretty soon."

Tony stepped on her foot under the table, but Kate only fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"When are Sean and Pat coming?" Kate wanted to know.

"Pat should be here soon," her mother replied. "Sean, Marie and the children said they'd come around 11, so the children have time to play outside before the meal."

When they had finished breakfast, Tony excused himself to go upstairs and take a shower. Kate, who had showered before breakfast, stayed in the kitchen to help her mother prepare some of the Thanksgiving dishes. She started with peeling the potatoes and putting them into a large bowl.

"I like him," Pam said when Tony was gone. "You seem to be very happy."

"We are," Kate replied with a smile.

"And are you intending on raising your relationship up to a serious level soon?"

Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "Our relationship is serious, mom."

"Yeah, of course, I know," Pam said, waving her hand dismissively. "What I mean is …"

"Mom, I know what you mean," Kate said, slightly annoyed. "Just leave it, okay?" She was so sick of this conversation with her mother. As long as Kate had been single, her mother had tried to convince her that she absolutely needed a man in her life. Now that Kate had a relationship, her mother was constantly trying to speed things up. If Kate had left it to her, she would have been married to Tony months ago and would be pregnant by now - with twins, preferably. And if Kate was married and had children, of course she would have to give up her job and stay at home - that's what her mother usually made her understand without really saying it. Kate hated the attitude her mother was taking towards her job and they'd already had countless arguments about it.

"I was simply trying to give you some advice," Pam said, sounding offended. "I'm happy for you and I want your relationship to last."

"I can take care of that, mom," Kate sighed, keeping her eyes on the potato in her hand.

"I know, I know. It's just that sometimes I think you should be more willing to make some sacrifices to …"

"What do you mean by 'sacrifices'?" Kate asked warily, looking over at her mother, who was filling a pot with water. She knew exactly what her mother meant, but she wanted her to say it out loud.

"It's normal that women have to give up some aspects of their old life when they want to share their life with a man," Pam explained, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "It's what men expect from us. They want to be the ones who bring home the money. And they want a wife who needs protection - at least who makes them feel like it."

"Mom, if this is going to be about my job again, please just leave it, okay?"

"Caitlin, I'm not trying to stick my nose into things that are none of my business, all I want is for you to be happy."

"Then why can't you accept that I like what I do? My job is very important to me."

"More important than having a family one day?"

"No one says that I can't have both," Kate replied defensively.

"Of course not. But you have to admit that your job is making things difficult."

"Tony knows what I do and he's still with me. Doesn't that prove your theory wrong?"

"What if he changes his mind one day? What if he decides he wants a girlfriend who's not away for the most part of the week?"

"Mom, I'm not away for the most part of the week. I …"

"I know … You know what I mean. Don't you think that at some point he might start to feel neglected?"

"He won't," Kate said stubbornly.

Her mother sighed and looked at her in a sad way. "I hope that you are right," she said.

Kate hated how her mother could make her feel like this. She acted like she was okay with what Kate had said, but she made clear at the same time that she thought Kate was wrong. She hated it!

As soon as Kate had finished peeling the potatoes she left the kitchen and went upstairs. She needed to get some distance between herself and her mother. Tony was in their room, sitting on the bed and reading a car magazine he had brought. Kate knew that this was not the usual type of magazines he read. He tried to hide it from her, but she had long ago found out that he was reading Playboy. She didn't like it, but accepted it as a part of him being a man - and a not very mature one at times. But she guessed he hadn't dared bring one of those magazines into the house of her parents, so he had opted for one of his other interests.

When Kate entered, Tony looked up and smiled at her. But as soon as he really looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing. What do you mean?" Kate tried to sound casual and she thought that she managed quite well, but she couldn't fool Tony - be it because he was a federal agent or because he knew her so well.

Tony put the magazine aside and held out a hand to Kate to make her come over to the bed. Kate sat down on the edge of it, one leg tucked under her body, the other one still resting on the floor. She was only half facing Tony, but he soon shifted closer to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "What is it?" he asked again.

"Sometimes my mother drives me up the wall," Kate sighed. "I love her, but sometimes I could just …" She didn't finish the sentence, she only sighed and rested her forehead against Tony's. "It's a mother-daughter-issue," she added because she didn't want him to ask more questions.

And Tony accepted her answer.

"Now that you are here …" he said after a quiet moment, letting his voice trail off before he had completed the sentence. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, but Kate only sighed melodramatically.

"Tony, you have a one-track mind," she told him.

"It's not my fault that you are so damn hot," he replied, making her smile.

She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him a little bit more tightly than she had intended to. It helped her to convince herself that her mother was wrong about Tony, had to be since she had only known him for twelve hours. There might be men who were thinking like her mother said they were, but Tony was not one of them. He wasn't, period. He must not be…

* * *

Kate's oldest brother Pat arrived at half past ten and Tony and Kate went down to greet him. Tony had to hide a smile when he saw how much Kate's oldest brother resembled her. He and Kate had exactly the same eyes and chin, and their hair was the same color. Pat, of course, was a lot taller than Kate, also some inches taller than Tony. But Tony didn't find Pat as intimidating as his father, actually he liked Kate's brother, a lot, right from the beginning. Especially when after having greeted everybody, Pat went into the living room, switched on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found a sports channel. Five minutes later Tony and Pat were sitting on the couch watching commented game extracts. They soon found out that they had both played baseball in high school and college. From that point on, they didn't talk about anything else.

Kate returned to the kitchen with her mother. It was Thanksgiving, not a time to not be talking to her mother. It usually was like that between them - they didn't talk about the things they were really feeling, no matter if those things were good or bad. Kate had always been closer to her father than her mother, always taking her problems to him. She had never really tried to change that.

From time to time, Kate left the kitchen and peeked into the living room to see what Tony and Pat were doing. The fact that her boyfriend and her brother got along so well made her smile.

When Kate's other brother, Sean, arrived with his family, Kate introduced Tony to her brother, her sister-in-law and their boys, Zach and Cory. From all siblings Tony knew so far, Sean was the one who resembled their mother the most. His wife Marie was in her late twenties, with curly blond hair and a freckled nose. The twins, images of their mother, went out into the garden to play, while their father joined Tony and Pat on the couch. Marie went into the kitchen with the women.

The first thing Marie did when they were all in the kitchen was to pull Kate aside and whisper to her: "Oh my god, Kate, you didn't mention one word about how handsome Tony is!"

Kate grinned. "Didn't I?"

"How is he holding up?" Marie wanted to know. "Is dad already through with him?"

"What do you mean, 'through with him'?"

"Sean told me what he did to the last boyfriend you brought home."

"Marie, I was still in college then and my boyfriend was a loser. Dad was completely right to throw him out."

"I guess you didn't think so when it happened?"

"Are you kidding me? I didn't talk to my father for a month. But I'm not worried about Tony. And Pat and Sean seem to like him."

* * *

Tony looked at his wristwatch. It was already past noon and so far the day hadn't been bad at all. He had spent some very enjoyable moments with Kate, was allowed to watch the sports channel, Kate's brothers were really nice - and he hadn't seen her father all morning.

He was still sitting on the couch in the living room with Pat and Sean. The TV was still on, but at the moment Tony wasn't paying attention because Pat and Sean were telling him stories about Kate when she was a child and teenager. He was so focused on it that he didn't even notice when Mr. Todd came into the living room. Tony only noticed the presence of Kate's father when he came to stand next to the arm of the couch, right next to where Tony was sitting.

"Hi, dad!" his two sons greeted him.

Mr. Todd smiled at them and asked about their week. Tony tried to keep as still as possible as to not draw any attention to himself. He thought that it was working quite well since Mr. Todd ignored him completely. But then Kate's father ended the short conversation with his sons by saying: "Would you two excuse Tony and me for a moment?"

Tony swallowed thickly. Excuse them? What was that supposed to mean?

But Mr. Todd didn't elaborate on his plan - he simply walked away. Pat nudged Tony in the ribs with his elbow as a sign for him to follow their father. Oh no! But he didn't have a choice. He couldn't say to Kate's father that he didn't want to come, could he? So he got up quickly and hurried out of the room. Mr. Todd was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, but when he saw Tony coming he started climbing the stairs to the second floor, where his study was. Tony tried to look into the kitchen from the hall, but he didn't see Kate. Where was she? Panic started to rise inside of him, but while his head told him to run away as fast as he could, his legs were already climbing the stairs. Traitors!

The study was the first room on the left of the corridor. Mr. Todd had left the door open for Tony and was waiting for him in the middle of the small room that was stuffed with books. They filled up two shelves that covered two walls of the room and were also piled up on the large desk and the window sill. Apart from the books and the desk, the room was quite empty. There was only an office chair behind the desk - where Mr. Todd went to sit - and one in front of it, where he gestured for Tony to sit.

"We didn't get to finish our conversation last night," Mr. Todd said, as if that was an explanation for why he had dragged Tony away from the rest of the family and into this room - where they were all by themselves.

"No, we didn't," Tony said bravely, trying to make Kate appear inside the room by sheer force of will. It didn't work.

"I think we already covered talking about work," Mr. Todd continued. "Maybe you could tell me something about yourself - where you went to college, for example?"

Tony was more than just a little bit surprised at the friendly tone Kate's father suddenly used. Was this really only meant to be a polite conversation?

"I went to college at Ohio State," Tony answered. "I took some courses in economy - my father's choice - but didn't go through with it."

"So you decided to become a cop?"

Tony nodded. "My father was not pleased. He decided not to give me anymore money and since then I've earned my own living." Tony had tried to say it as casual as possible, wishing they could change the subject.

"This all sounds like the relationship to your father is still not the best," Mr. Todd stated.

"We are not really talking to each other," Tony admitted.

"Have you never tried to settle your differences? He's your father after all."

The muscles in Tony's jaw tightened at these words. The relationship to his father was his weak point - always had been - and he was not willing to discuss it here, nor take any of the blame. "My father couldn't accept the person I am and decided he didn't want a son like me. I don't see how we could settle this."

Kate's father raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, but then nodded. "Kate told me that your mother died when you were young. I'm sorry. Do you have any other family members?"

"My mother's parents are still alive. We are in contact, but don't see each other regularly. That's about it."

"What about the women in your life?" Mr. Todd suddenly asked.

That question immediately got Tony's full attention. "There is only one woman in my life," he replied carefully.

"What I meant is the women who were there before," Mr. Todd explained. "Have you already tried to have a family with someone?"

"No." Tony didn't want to give him the pleasure of a more detailed answer.

"You know, my daughter has always been a very independent woman," Mr. Todd said, "even as a child. She always knew exactly what she wanted and how to reach it. She is used to working hard for the things she wants to achieve."

"I know that," Tony said.

"She is working in a job that asks a lot from a woman. The field is dominated by men, but Kate manages to stand her ground."

"Yes she does," Tony agreed.

"I don't believe she would ever give up just because there's some kind of obstacle in the way."

"Of course not."

Tony and Mr. Todd stared at each other. Tony didn't have a clue what it was all about. Why was Mr. Todd telling him all these things about Kate that he knew anyway?

"I've always tried to support her in every way I can," Mr. Todd continued. "Kate is a grown woman now and doesn't need my support anymore, but she still knows that she has it. Do you understand?"

Tony wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. No, he didn't understand, but didn't want to look dumb. So he opted for something a bit more eloquent: "Sir, I totally agree with you in everything you just said about Kate. She is a strong woman and she does her job well. But I really don't see what you're aiming at."

He wasn't sure whether Mr. Todd was going to answer - and he never found out, because at that moment, the door of the study opened after a short polite knock and Kate entered. Tony held back the sigh of relief that almost escaped him. Kate had finally come to rescue him!

"There you are," Kate said with a smile and stepped behind Tony's chair. "What are you doing up here?"

"We're trying to get to know each other better," her father answered. "But I think we've done enough talking for now. I'll go down to show the children the new swing. They'll want to try it out."

"I'm sure they will," Kate said, watching as her father stood up and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Tony let out a deep sigh and sank back in his chair.

"I'm sorry, Tony," Kate said, looking guilty. "I didn't realize you were up here. What did he want?"

"I'm not sure. He asked me some questions, but I don't really know what he wanted me to tell him."

"It's strange that he came up here with you," Kate mused. "He obviously wanted to have you alone - but what for?"

"Don't ask me," Tony sighed. "I'm not even sure if I passed his test. When you came in here, did you have the feeling that he was content?"

"I don't know. But why wouldn't he be?"

Tony shrugged. He had no idea what was going on inside Mr. Todd's head. Slowly he stood up from his chair and took Kate's hand in his to lead her out of the room. In it, he felt like he was sitting on the wrong side of the interrogation room window.

* * *

The meal was served at 2 o'clock. The whole family was sitting around the large dining table in the living room, but before Mr. Todd cut the turkey he asked for a minute's silence to say prayer. Tony was surprised because in his family they had never said a prayer before a meal. For a moment he was really scared that Mr. Todd might ask him, as the guest, to say the prayer, but Kate's father did it himself. While they were listening to his words, Tony felt how Kate reached for his hand under the table, and he laced his fingers with hers.

When the prayer was over and Mr. Todd started to cut the turkey, Tony leaned over to Kate and whispered into her ear: "Thanks for inviting me. I'm enjoying this a lot." And he meant it. After all, nothing bad had happened to him like he had expected. Sure, there had been the conversation with Kate's father, but apart from being strange it hadn't been that terrible. And the rest of the day had been great so far. He felt really comfortable in this house with Kate's family.

Kate beamed at him. She squeezed his hand and kissed him on the lips. "I'm so happy that you came," she whispered.

During the next hour, Tony learned what Thanksgiving was like when you had a normal family. Throughout his childhood, Thanksgiving had always been shaded over by the constant arguing of his parents. After his mother had died, he had often spent Thanksgiving at home with his nanny, while his father and stepmother were in Aspen or in Hawaii. A dining table like this, buzzing with conversation and smiling faces all around him was what he had dreamed of as a child.

As if on cue, Kate's mother chose this very moment to ask: "Tony, what is your family doing on Thanksgiving? I hope they can forgive us for keeping you away from them."

"Don't worry," Tony said. "There's only my father and his wife. They prefer to spend Thanksgiving abroad."

"Oh, I think it's a pity when families don't take the opportunity to get together on a national holiday," Pam sighed. "I'm so happy that our children still come here to celebrate with us. I really hope that some day you and Kate will come with your children and we can all celebrate together."

"Mom," Kate said with a warning tone.

"What?" her mother asked. "I assume that you will have children one day. Do you want children, Tony?"

"Uh … I guess … one day," Tony said diplomatically.

"Mom, stop it, please," Kate said. She couldn't believe that her mother was taking this up again now, and in front of Tony!

Her mother looked like she wanted to say something else, but then she turned to her husband and offered him more mashed potatoes.

Kate looked at Tony and rolled her eyes. He smiled.

Halfway through the meal, Marie wanted to hear the story of how Tony and Kate had met - not as if Kate hadn't told her countless times already. So she repeated it, with the help of Tony this time.

"It's funny that you two live so close together," Marie said at the end. "If you hadn't met in that coffee shop you might have crossed each other on the street countless times by now and wouldn't have exchanged a word."

"That's true," Tony said. A strange thought. He looked at Kate and tried to imagine what he would do if he didn't know her and saw her in the street. He would notice her, of course he would. Maybe he would follow her and wait for a possibility to start a conversation with her - or she would notice that someone was following her and threaten him with a gun.

"Why are you grinning?" Kate wanted to know.

"Just because," he said and patted her knee.

"What I don't understand …" Kate's mother started. "What I don't understand - when you live so close together anyway - why are you both paying rent when you could just move in together and save a lot of money?"

"Mom!" Kate said, with a threatening tone to her voice. Tony had learned to be aware of that tone, but her mother simply ignored it.

"Wouldn't it be nice to come home and someone is there waiting for you?" Pam asked.

"Kate has a key to my place and I have one to hers," Tony said. "We usually go to the same place after work."

"Kate is away often, isn't she?"

Tony blinked in surprise, not immediately following Pam's line of thought. "Yeah, she travels a lot," he said. "Why? What do you mean?"

"I imagine that it's difficult when you see each other so rarely."

"Oh that," Tony said. "Actually, I also often work late, so I'm not at home at some evenings during the week. But we always get to spend time together - it's important to us so we do our best." He smiled at Kate's mother.

"I always told Kate that when you want a relationship to work it's important to make sacrifices. You can't go on living as if you were alone."

"I wouldn't call it sacrifices," Tony said, not quite sure why all the conversations he had today were so confusing.

Pam sighed. Tony obviously wasn't saying what she wanted to hear. "What would interest me is what your colleagues say concerning their families and children," Pam now said. "Does it work well for them?"

"Well, my boss, Gibbs, is not married," Tony explained. "I think he has an ex-wife though. My other colleague has a wife, but no children as far as I know."

Pam nodded in understanding. "I think it must be hard to decide to have children when you work in a job that is so dangerous. You never know if you will come home to your family in the evening. It must be terrible for children to fear that something could happen to their parents while they're away."

Now Tony was really starting to wonder what Pam was going on about.

"Our jobs may be dangerous," Tony admitted, "but all of us could be hit by a bus every day when we cross the street. I don't think it's a good thing to worry about it every day." He smiled at Pam.

"In my opinion, it's the role of the mother to keep the family stable," Pam said, as if she hadn't heard Tony's words. She looked at Marie and smiled. "Be there for the children and explain to them why their father has to work. It shouldn't be a nanny who tends to them on behalf of a mother and father."

Tony looked at Kate to see if she understood why her mother was making such a fuss about the topic of work and private life. The moment he saw Kate's face, though, he realized that she was fuming with anger.

"Sure, children need their parents," Tony said to Pam. "I know what I'm talking about - I was raised by nannies. But how much time a mother and father spend with their children does not only depend on the job, it's a question of attitude and priorities." Tony remembered very well how he had tried to get his father to teach him how to ride a bike. Every weekend he had knocked on the door of his home office, but his father had always sent him away.

"I'm sure if you had children you would think differently," Pam said with a knowing smile. "You would want them to be brought up by someone you trust and love - and that can only be your wife. I know what I'm talking about - I have four children after all."

Now Tony had heard enough. He didn't know why Mrs. Todd had chosen their Thanksgiving meal as the place and time to confront them with her opinion on professional life and family, but he did see the effect it was having on Kate, and he hated it. He would never understand the power a mother had over her daughter, even if that daughter was usually a strong and independent woman. He could tell that Pam's words were really getting to Kate - she was hurt because her mother wasn't supporting her. Was Pam really hoping to get Tony on her side? He decided to make his point clear to her right now.

"Pam," he said, maybe a bit more sharply than he had intended. "I guess what you're aiming at is that you would like Kate to give up her job and do something that you see more fit for a young woman. Kate is a federal agent – as am I. Our jobs are dangerous, but we love what we do. I wouldn't want Kate to give up her job, because it's a part of who she is and what makes her so special. I also want to protect her and I am worried about her sometimes, but I learned very early on in our relationship that she doesn't need protection. Kate's the toughest woman I know. And I wouldn't want her any other way."

He stared at Pam, waiting for her reply, but she didn't meet his gaze. Instead she reached for the bowl of cranberry sauce and held it under her husband's nose, urging him to take some of it. It was now very quiet around the table because everyone was staring at their plates uneasily.

Tony didn't add anything else - he had said what had to be said - but when he looked at Kate he found that she was staring at him with round eyes. Did she think that he had been too harsh with her mother? He hoped she wasn't angry with him now.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Kate asked him, pushing back her chair and standing up.

"Sure," Tony muttered, following her out of the living room and into the kitchen. Damn it, now he had messed things up! It wasn't very polite to snap at your girlfriend's mother during the meal. What would Kate's father do to him now? And would Kate let him?

Tony didn't get to finish his thoughts because the moment he crossed the threshold to the kitchen, Kate grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her for a passionate kiss. At first, Tony was too surprised to react, but he soon got over it and kissed her back, lifting her onto the counter next to the sink to get her eye level with him. Kate's arms wrapped around his shoulders and she threaded the fingers of one hand through his hair, not once breaking out of the kiss.

"Thank you," she whispered against his lips after a very long moment.

Tony tried to activate enough brain cells to decipher what she had just said. When he got through to the meaning of her words, he frowned. "What for?" he asked.

"For standing up against my mother," she said, kissing his cheek and the side of his neck. "She has always been against my decision of joining the Secret Service. We've already had so many arguments about it. Now she hoped that in you she'd have an ally. Thank you so much for supporting me."

"You're welcome," Tony whispered into her hair. "Was this why you were upset this morning?"

Kate nodded. "She just wouldn't let it go."

"Let her talk," Tony said. "No matter what she says, I am really proud of you. And your father is, too."

"My father?"

Tony nodded. "He told me today when we were in his room. At first I didn't understand, but now I think I do. He was trying to tell me that you needed someone who supports you - and what you're doing."

"My father said that?" Kate asked, not really believing it.

Tony nodded, catching her lips in a short and tender kiss. Then he sighed. "Let's go back into the dining room," he said. "We haven't had our dessert yet." When he grinned, Kate rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

Uneasy looks greeted them when they went back into the living room, but Tony squeezed Kate's hand reassuringly. When they were seated again, Tony looked at Kate's parents, who were sitting across from him. He saw that Mr. Todd whispered something to his wife and patted her arm. When Kate's father looked over and met Tony's gaze, the older man winked at him. Tony understood it as a sign that Pam was okay and he nodded, glad that he hadn't caused too much of a disagreement.

Soon, the conversation started around the table again, and the rest of the meal passed peacefully. Kate and Marie watched in disbelief how Tony, Sean and Pat ate two huge pieces of pumpkin pie – each - even after all the turkey they had already consumed.

Later, all three of them moaned and complained how much their stomachs hurting and said that they definitely couldn't help with the dishes. It was strange though that as soon as they sat on the couch and had switched the sports channel on, the pain seemed to have magically vanished. When Pat came into the kitchen to get a package of crisps for them, the women chased him out again.

* * *

That night, when Tony and Kate were lying in bed next to each other, there was one thing that didn't let Tony rest. Was he going delusional?

"Kate?"

"Hm?"

"When we said goodnight to your parents before …"

"Yeah?"

"Did you also hear your dad call me 'son'?" Tony wasn't sure if he hadn't misheard. That moment, down in the living room, he could have sworn that Mr. Todd had said "Goodnight, son" and had patted Tony's shoulder - but now he wasn't sure if it had really happened.

Kate snuggled up to Tony and snaked one arm around his waist. "That's what you get for standing behind his daughter," she said, kissing the side of his neck. "Welcome to the family."


	11. Christmas

_A/N: Christmas is coming early this year! Hope you like it! Thanks again to Mandi for her great betaing skills! You worked wonders on this.__ Oh, and maybe I should warn you all - this chapter is the fluffiest ever!_

**Chapter 11: Christmas**

Thanksgiving was over. The last day at Kate's parents' had passed peacefully and without the slightest incident. Tony had behaved very politely towards Kate's mother and had spent some time with Kate's father, whom he could now talk normally with. Before they had left for the airport, Kate's mother had invited them for Christmas. Kate had kissed her mother on the cheek and told her that she would try to come.

Later, on the plane, she'd told Tony that normally she didn't spend Christmas with her parents: "My mom asks me every year, but since joining the Secret Service I usually volunteer to work during the holidays. Many of my colleagues have families at home and I think it's only fair to let them spend Christmas with their loved ones."

"I don't really celebrate Christmas either," Tony had said.

"What did you do last year?"

"I went to a bar with some friends. Nothing special." He had gotten drunk and had slept with a blonde he had met that very evening. He couldn't remember her name.

"And this year?" Kate had asked.

Tony had looked at her and had tried to find out what she wanted him to say now. He couldn't figure it out so he went for the truth: "I don't care much about Christmas. I didn't even like it when I was a child. So if you're going to work I might as well stay at home - or tell my boss that I'll work some overtime."

Kate had nodded and he still wasn't sure whether she liked what she'd heard or not. They hadn't brought up the subject again.

It was two weeks before Christmas and even though Tony still didn't know how he would spend it, he knew that he needed a present for Kate. The month of December also marked their six-month anniversary and he realized that such milestones were important for women. He needed something special for her and, unfortunately, he was quite sure that expensive lingerie wouldn't do for this occasion.

"So, Tony, I'm curious," Abby said one morning when Tony was down in her lab. "What are you giving Kate for Christmas?"

Tony glared at her. He was quite sure that Abby knew he still had no idea what to give Kate and she had only asked to tease him. But he decided not to say anything nasty because he really needed Abby's help.

"I don't know yet," he said. "I have no idea. Do you have any suggestions? Please?"

Abby lifted her hands in the air in a defensive gesture. "You are her boyfriend. You know her more intimately than I do."

"No one knows a woman more intimately than a woman's best friend. And that's you!"

"Yeah…but that's also why I can't help you."

"What? Why?"

"Because Kate would know that I helped you when she sees the present. Do you want that?"

"Does that mean she told you what she wants?"

Abby sighed. "No, she didn't. We only talked about the worst Christmas presents we ever got."

"And what was that for her? Just to make sure?"

"A boyfriend once gave her black latex boots and a whip accompanied by a card that read 'Only a suggestion…'"

Tony stared at Abby with round eyes and suddenly felt a strong urge to find that guy and beat him up.

"What do you have for her?" he asked when he had overcome the shock.

"I have the same thing for you and for her, so I can't tell you."

"Will you help me find out what Kate wants for Christmas?"

Abby shook her head and Tony's heart fell. "Why not?" he wanted to know.

"Because I know that Kate wants you to figure it out on your own. It's not so important what it is, Tony, it's more important that you give it with love."

Tony sighed. Why did women think that such a definition could help a man find the right present? The fact that he loved Kate didn't mean that he knew what the perfect present was.

When he got home that evening, he knew upon opening the door that Kate was there. He knew it before he saw her jacket hanging on the rack and before she made a cluttering noise with something in the kitchen. Somehow he always knew when she was in his apartment.

Silently he closed the door behind him and hung up his coat before peeking into the living room to see where she was. There, he could see her shadow moving around in the kitchen. Smiling devilishly he snuck through the living room and stopped again when he reached the doorway to the kitchen. She was standing with her back to him, stirring something in a pot. Tony snuck in, not making the tiniest sound, and reached his hands out to her when he was merely two feet away from her.

When he grabbed her waist, Kate let out a surprised shriek and spun around to face him. Tony immediately caught her around the middle and pulled her to him, his lips descending upon hers before she even had a chance to recognize him. But she didn't hesitate one second before kissing him back. Her hands moved across his chest and up the sides of his neck, pressing her body closer to his. Tony's attempt to startle her had kind of backfired on him, because when they broke out of the kiss he was the one who was lacking oxygen and whose knees had gone weak. Kate only looked up at him, licked her bottom lip and smiled seductively at him. He should really stop trying to make her lose her composure - it was pointless.

"What are you cooking?" he wanted to know, his hands still resting on her waist.

"The only thing I can make you eat without complaining," she answered, running her fingers through his hair before leaning in to give him another kiss.

"Pasta?" Tony asked hopefully. Kate nodded.

While the noodles were cooking, Tony went into his bedroom to change into something more comfortable and reemerged wearing his favorite pair of jeans and a brown pullover. He volunteered to set the table and opened a bottle of wine for them.

"We got the work schedule for the holidays today," Kate said while they were eating. "I'm doing the late shift on the 24th and the 25th, but I was thinking that we could still see each other on the morning of the 25th?"

Tony nodded, unpleasantly reminded that he still had no present for her. "So you're going to spend Christmas Eve with the vice-president?" he asked jokingly. Kate had recently been promoted to protection duty over the vice-president, which they had celebrated over dinner in a very elegant restaurant where it was almost impossible to get a table. Kate had worn the red dress he had urged her to buy a week before and she had looked so stunning in it that she had attracted the gaze of each and every single man in the restaurant. Tony hadn't been able to take his eyes off her once.

"I guess I will be at their home, but not with them while they celebrate. We usually stay in the kitchen or somewhere else out of sight. The family wants to have the feeling of being alone - alone but safe."

"Who'll be there with you?"

"Bailey and Jordan," Kate said.

Tony remembered that Kate had told him about them after her first week on the job. They were both men in their early fifties who'd spent their lives in the Secret Service. Kate had said that they were usually quite grumpy and gave her a hard time because she was a woman and only half their age. And these were the men Kate would spend Christmas with?

Tony studied Kate's face across the table. She said she didn't mind working on Christmas Eve, but now he had the feeling that secretly, she did mind. She'd work so that colleagues with families could spend the time with their spouses and children. It was selfless and very much like Kate. But he knew her well and was aware that deep down she was not only a total romantic, but also someone who didn't want to be alone. And there was nothing in the world that felt lonelier than spending Christmas without the people you care about. Tony knew that from experience. But this year was the first time that there was someone in his life who he wanted to spend Christmas with.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kate asked.

Tony tried to wipe the smile off his face, but it wasn't easy. He'd just had the best idea ever. But it wouldn't be easy to put his plan into action - only two more weeks to arrange everything. But when Tony DiNozzo really wanted something, he got it!

* * *

On December 24 Tony didn't have to work. He was quite sure that Gibbs had a new girlfriend and wanted to spend the holidays with her, so they all got some days off as well. It was perfect for his plan. He had arranged everything over the past two weeks. It had been difficult, but not impossible and he was sure that Kate would love his present. But not everything was in place yet - and he needed Abby's help to finish. Kate was supposed to go into work at 7 p.m., but he wanted her out of her apartment before that, so he had told Abby everything and had asked her to get Kate out of the way for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

He waited at home for his cell phone to ring and when it did he answered it to hear Abby say: "The operation is about to begin." Tony smiled and went into action.

Abby quickly flipped her cell phone shut and smiled at Kate who was coming towards her through the café. Abby was totally excited because of Tony's idea. Kate would freak out!

Kate kissed Abby on the cheek before sitting down across from her. "You're here early," Kate commented.

"I got out of the lab by noon. I hope my replacement isn't as much of a jerk as the last one. After he left, I had to change the filters of half my equipment and sterilize all the test tubes because he hadn't done it after using them. Seriously, I don't like leaving my lab to someone else."

"I know," Kate said sympathetically. "But it's the only possibility for you to get some time off."

"Yeah, that's true."

The waitress came and took their orders and minutes later she returned with their coffees and two pieces of blueberry pie.

"I love the pies here!" Abby sighed. "They're almost as good as my granny's. Speaking of which…do you want your present?"

Kate didn't find the direct link between Abby's grandmother and presents, but she nodded just the same. She also took the present she had for Abby out of the bag she'd carried it in. She'd bought Abby a T-shirt and a matching leather wristband from a shop Abby fancied - matching because the employee at the shop, a young girl with five piercings in each of her eyebrows, had explained to her that the skull that was printed on the shirt and embossed in the leather of the wristband were from the same designer.

They exchanged the presents and decided to open them right away. When Kate opened the red paper of her present at one side, she could already guess that inside she'd find a picture frame. Curious about the picture she ripped the paper open, turned the frame around and looked at the picture, a broad smile slowly appearing on her face. The picture showed her and Tony - at the party Abby had given the weekend before Thanksgiving, she guessed. It was a close-up, showing them from the shoulders upwards. One of Tony's arms was wrapped casually around Kate's neck and she was leaning towards him because he was whispering something into her ear. His eyes were half closed and on his face she could see the first signs of his boyish grin. Kate's eyes were looking to the side and upwards, to where Tony's face was. She was smiling at what he was saying, but at the same time one could guess that she was about to roll her eyes. Whoever had taken that picture had managed to catch the magic of the moment. It had so much life in it that Kate could almost feel Tony's breath on her cheek like she had felt it at that moment.

Abby's excited shriek brought Kate out of her contemplation and she smiled at her friend. Abby was already trying on the band and beamed at Kate. "I love it!" she said excitedly.

"Me too," Kate said. "This picture is wonderful. Who took it?"

"I did, of course," Abby said, sounding very proud of herself. "You two were looking so cute, standing in that corner. I was glad I had my camera in my hand."

"Thank you," Kate said, leaning over the table to give Abby a hug.

* * *

Kate and Abby were about to leave the café at half past five, when Kate's cell phone rang. From the number on the display she could tell that the call came from work, where she had to be at 7. What did they want now? She answered and immediately changed into a more casual tone when she recognized the caller as Jean from the staff office, a friend of Kate's. Jean was calling to ask Kate if she was okay with a couple of changes to the schedule next week. Kate said that it was no problem. And then Jean said something strange: "Enjoy your free time tonight! I'm glad that this year you're spending Christmas at home."

Kate was sure that Jean must be mistaken and told her that she was scheduled to work tonight, so Jean checked the schedule, but she could only confirm what she'd already said: Kate had the night off and wouldn't have to come in to work before the next evening.

"What's the matter?" Abby asked when Kate had ended the call.

"It's strange. I think they got some wires crossed while organizing the schedule for tonight. They say I have the evening off."

"But that's great, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sure," Kate said, still confused. Not that she minded not having to work, it was just really strange. And what good did a free evening do when Tony wasn't there to spend it with her? They hadn't made any plans for tonight; it was even possible that he was working.

"What are you going to do now?" Abby asked when they stepped out into the already dark street.

"I'll go home and call Tony. Do you know if he has to work? He wasn't sure when I asked him this morning."

"I have no idea," Abby said. "But just call him and see."

"Yeah, okay." Kate smiled at Abby and hugged her goodbye before Abby left to whatever party she was invited to.

On her way home, Kate couldn't stop thinking how wonderful it would be if Tony had the evening off too. Why hadn't she tried to get the evening off in the first place? Then they could have made real plans. She hadn't had an enjoyable Christmas in ages and she'd really, really love to be with Tony tonight. Why wait until she was at home? She'd just call him now. Kate hit speed dial on her phone and let it ring until Tony's cell sent her into voice mail. Damn!

With a frustrated sigh, she entered the hall of her apartment building and pushed the button for the elevator with more force than necessary. While walking down the corridor to her apartment, she still had her cell phone in her hand, waiting for Tony to call her back.

When she unlocked her door and opened it, she noticed an unfamiliar scent inside her apartment. It smelled so much … like Christmas. Trying to remember what she might have bought that emitted such a lovely scent she took off her coat and hung it up on the rack. She put her keys back into her purse and dropped it next to the door before opening the door to the living room. Strange - she always left that door open.

Then she stepped into her living room and her jaw dropped. What the…?

The lights were out, but it wasn't dark in the room. It was illuminated by the warm, dim light of candles - decorating a Christmas tree! But she hadn't bought a tree! What she had smelled before - and smelled more intensely now - was the scent of the candles mixed with that of pine needles. The tree was about five feet tall - not too big for her apartment - and was decorated in red and silver with a silver star placed on its top. It looked lovely!

While she was looking at the tree, her stereo started to play a carol - quietly. As soon as she'd overcome the surprise of seeing a fully decorated Christmas tree standing in her formerly tree-free living room, she looked around the apartment to find the person who must be holding the remote control for the stereo.

Tony was standing next to the door of the kitchen, hidden in the shadows so that she hadn't seen him immediately. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a broad smile plastered on his face. When Kate realized what he'd done - that he must have called her office to get the evening off for her; that he must have asked Jean to call her; that he must have arranged with Abby to keep her busy during the afternoon so that he could prepare everything in her apartment; that he'd figured out how much she wanted to be with him tonight. Suddenly, Kate's heart was so full with gratitude and warm, overwhelming love that she felt tears well up in her eyes. Within a heartbeat she had crossed the living room and was in Tony's arms, covering his face and lips with kisses. She heard him chuckle softly and he caught her face in his hands to make her look at him.

"Do you like it?" he asked, sounding like a boy who wanted a reaction to a Valentine's card he'd made in primary school and given to his secret love.

"Do I like it?" she echoed, blinking back the tears. "Oh, Tony, I love it! I can't believe you did this, it's…it's everything I wanted for tonight." One of her hands came up to stroke his cheek and he bent down to catch her lips in a lingering kiss.

"I wanted to spend tonight with you," he admitted. "You're the only person in the world I wanted to be with tonight."

Kate bit her bottom lip. Normally, Tony wasn't a guy who talked so openly about his feelings - but when he did, his whole demeanor never left a doubt about whether what he said was true. Right now he had spoken with such earnest and sincerity that Kate could feel his words vibrate inside of her.

"This is already the best Christmas I've ever had," she whispered. "Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before."

Tony started to smile again and touched his forehead to hers. "I hoped you'd say that," he admitted. "I wanted something special for you tonight."

"Thank you," she whispered, pulling him to her for a long kiss.

Then Tony asked her to sit down at her dining table, which was already set, and carried a huge platter with cold dishes out of the kitchen. There was roast beef, turkey, chicken, all kinds of vegetables and fruits, and various hors d'oeuvres and sauces. He served a soft, white bread that Kate recognized as Ciabatta, which he must have gotten from an Italian delicatessen shop. He also had a bottle of expensive wine on the table - and he promised there'd be dessert.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want to go to a restaurant," he said. "But then I thought that it would be nicer to stay at home, in private."

Kate only nodded. Her voice hadn't recovered yet. Tony saw that she was speechless and smiled inwardly, giving her some time.

While they were eating, he asked her questions about Christmases of her childhood and got to hear a lot of stories that once more showed how happy her childhood must have been. The stories were even better because now he knew the people she was talking about. He didn't contribute any stories of his own - he didn't want to spoil the evening with stories of a lonely childhood.

"Ready for dessert?" he finally asked.

"What did you get?" Kate asked curiously.

He had Tiramisu and it was delicious. Kate was sure she had never eaten anything better than this - but everything seemed to be better than usual tonight.

After dinner they sat on the couch, snuggling and kissing a lot and whispering words to each other. Tony noticed that Kate was staring at the tree every other minute. He had replaced the real candles with electric ones by now to not risk a fire, but he still thought that he had done a good job of decorating the tree.

"I haven't had a Christmas tree in years," Kate sighed. "It's so beautiful."

Tony smiled into her hair and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You'll get one every year from now on," he promised her.

Kate, very aware of what he'd just implicitly said, turned his face to hers with a hand on his cheek and kissed him.

When they had ended the kiss, Kate remembered her present for Tony and smiled. He wasn't the only one who liked to surprise others.

"Do you want your present now or in the morning?" she wanted to know.

Tony grinned. "Now!"

"I thought so," she said, chuckling, and got up from the couch to get his present from the bedroom.

When she'd returned to the living room she saw that Tony was also holding a small package in his hands. "But I already have your present," she said. "This evening is the best present ever."

He smiled and merely shrugged. "See this as a small bonus," he said.

"Merry Christmas," Kate said, giving him her present and accepting hers.

Tony could guess from the size of his present that it must be a phonograph record, but he was curious which one it was. When he opened the package, he just stared at its contents for a couple of seconds then he jumped up from the couch with a silent scream. "Oh my god, Kate! How did you get this?"

Kate smiled secretively at him. "I have my ways," she said. She had gotten him a recording from a very famous jazz band of the 70s at one of their live gigs. There weren't a lot of those around and she'd had to find a collector on the web, then bribed and sweet-talked him into selling the record to her. It hadn't been easy - and not cheap - but the expression on Tony's face was absolutely worth it.

"I'm sorry that I don't have a player," she said. "You'll just have to wait until you get home to listen to it."

Tony only nodded and carefully put his present down on the coffee table. He sat down next to Kate again, took her face in his hands and pulled her to him in a mind blowing kiss that left her so dizzy that she had problems telling left from right afterwards. She managed to smile at him and say, "You're welcome" before he told her to open her present.

So she opened the ribbon that was wrapped around the small box that looked a lot like a box from a jeweler. When she opened the box, she was looking at an elegant gold bracelet that was a perfect match to her necklace with the small cross on it. The chain of the bracelet was very delicate, and in its middle there was a thin golden band with an engraving over both sides. It read: "_L'amour était le meilleur choix de ma vie. __Tony._"

For the second time that evening, Kate had tears in her eyes. Carefully she took the bracelet out of the box and ran her fingertips over the engraving, reading it again and again. "Oh, Tony…" she whispered, lacking words to describe what she was feeling. She loved everything about the bracelet. It was so beautiful and elegant, but simple - exactly the kind of jewelry she liked. And the engraving was so sweet and so sincere…

"Close it for me, please," she said, holding out her hand to Tony. He smiled and kissed her knuckles before closing the bracelet around her wrist. Kate immediately liked its light weight on her arm. She'd never take it off again.

Kate leaned closer to Tony and snaked her arms around his neck, bringing her lips close to his. "Thank you so much for everything," she whispered, brushing her lips over his, a touch as light as that of a feather. "You've made me very happy today." She thought about it for a second, then she added: "You've made me very happy since the first day we met."

Tony smiled happily, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly to him, soon catching her lips in another kiss.

After some time they settled back into the cushions and Tony put an arm around Kate's shoulders, making her snuggle up to him. "And now," he said, as if announcing something of great importance, "I want to watch 'How the Grinch stole Christmas'".

Kate chuckled. "I haven't seen that in years."

Tony went to get the DVD he had brought with him and put it into the player. Sitting next to Kate again, he pulled her legs over his lap and rested his chin on the top of her head. When the narrator began, Kate was nibbling on Tony's earlobe. They soon started to kiss again and by the time the Grinch had his sleigh ready, they had forgotten that the TV was still on.


	12. Hero Part 1

_A/N: The events in this chapter taking place in Europe are fictional, none of it really happened.  
Special thanks to Mandi for taking the time to beta this! Thanks to nettesmaedel189 for pointing out the mistake I made with the time zones. And thanks to everyone who has been reading and / or reviewing so far!_

**Chapter 12: Hero, Part 1**

"Tony!" Kate shouted from the bathroom.

"What is it, love?" Tony asked sweetly. He didn't know what made Kate's voice sound so agitated, but he thought it wise not to give her any more reason to shout at him.

When he reached the bathroom, Kate pointed into the sink and made a disgusted face. "What is this?" she asked.

Tony looked into it and saw a rim of shaving cream and shaved-off stubbles on the white surface.

"Would it be such a problem to rinse the sink when you know that I'll be in here after you?"

Tony pulled a face, but Kate wasn't finished yet. "And this," she said, holding up a tube of toothpaste, "is really annoying. You're always squeezing it from the top and it's impossible to get anything out of it later."

"Geez, Kate, this is my bathroom. I can clean it whenever I want. If it was at your place you could complain, but here…"

"You're doing it at my place too!" Kate shouted.

"I am not! I am always rinsing the sink - and the shower - after I use them."

"And what about the toilet seat?"

"Aw, come on, now you're being silly!"

"Silly? Coming from a man who was pissed off yesterday because I put a DVD into the wrong case?"

"That's not silly! How am I supposed to find my DVDs if they're in the wrong case?"

"And how am I supposed to use a sink that's so dirty?"

"You don't have to touch the sink to wash your face, do you? And if you find it so disgusting, why don't you just rinse it yourself?"

"Because I'm not the one who left stubbles all over it! And I'm not your cleaning woman!"

"At least a cleaning woman wouldn't touch my DVDs!"

"But she'd throw your dirty magazines away!"

Tony burst out laughing. It wasn't an angry, humorless laugh - it was real. He knew it was inappropriate considering the situation, but he couldn't help it.

"What?" Kate asked, expecting something mean. But the longer she watched Tony, the more she felt the urge to start laughing herself. She tried not to, but the grin crept on her face anyway and seconds later she was laughing too.

Tony came to her, reached for her face and pulled her to him for a kiss. Kate's hands grabbed the collar of his shirt as she opened her mouth to Tony's imploring tongue. He spun her around, backing her up against the wall next to the door and pressed her into it with his body. Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and Tony brought his hands down to the back of her thighs to lift her up and pin her against the wall. Kate gasped and ripped her mouth away from his, panting heavily.

"I won't touch your DVDs if you promise to rinse the sink after you use it," she said, one hand playing with the hair at the back of his neck.

"DVDs _and_ magazines," Tony said.

Kate raised one eyebrow, but nodded. "Done."

Tony leaned in and carefully took her bottom lip between his teeth. He gently sucked it then brushed his tongue over it before taking her mouth with his, muffling the gasp that escaped her.

"Tony…" Kate managed to get out, but Tony didn't react. He pushed her harder against the wall with his hips and her hand fisted in his hair. But she didn't have time for this now.

"Tony," she said again, breaking out of the kiss and placing her right index finger over his lips. "I can't be late for work today. You know that I have to catch a plane."

"But you still have time. Don't you?" He brought his lips so close to hers that there wasn't even an inch between their faces. "And you'll be gone for so long," he complained.

"I know," Kate said, running her fingers through his hair. She wished he'd let her down - it was awfully difficult to think straight while he had her in this position.

Kate was going to leave today to accompany the vice-president on a ten-day trip through Europe. They'd stay in France, Germany and finally attend a conference in Spain on the 21st of February. It was her first long trip since she had started working for the vice-president and Tony knew she was excited about it. But she'd be gone so long!

"Let me down, please," she said gently, and with a deep sigh, Tony let her slide down to the floor.

"Ten days is not that long," she said. "And seriously, after last night you shouldn't be complaining."

Tony grinned like the Cheshire cat and kissed the side of her neck. It was true; they had kept each other awake all night, not even trying to get any rest until 4 a.m. Kate had said she didn't want anything for Valentine's Day, but she hadn't complained when Tony had been waiting for her with a romantic dinner at home yesterday.

"I'm not complaining," he whispered, his breath hot on her skin, smiling when he felt her shudder. "But I'd still like to continue."

Kate rested her hands on his cheeks and touched her forehead to his. "While I'm gone," she said, "you could use your lonely nights to think of things you'd like to do on the night I get back."

"Yeah…" Tony said, already sounding thoughtful.

Kate placed a short kiss on his lips then threw him out of the bathroom so she could finally get ready.

* * *

Over the next week, Tony developed a habit of being early for work. He'd get up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. and have a cup of coffee while he waited for Kate to call, which she usually did at a quarter past seven. They'd talk for ten minutes until she had to get back to work and Tony would also leave for work. Sleeping in was totally boring when Kate wasn't there. Strange, before he'd met Kate he'd never needed a reason to stay in bed in the morning. The softness of the mattress and the warm blankets had been enough to not make him want to get up. But compared to the feeling of Kate's warm body next to his, the bed itself just didn't seem as appealing any more.

In the evenings he often zipped through the news channels until he found programs that talked about the vice-president's visit to Europe. He identified Kate a couple of times among the other Secret Service agents. She looked really hot in her black suit and sunglasses.

He knew that, by now, the visits to France and Germany were almost over. On the following day they'd fly to Spain and attend a conference over the next three days, starting tomorrow afternoon. And then she'd come back.

The next morning, a bored Abby came into the bullpen. "Hey Tony," she greeted him, taking Agent Brewster's empty chair to sit down in front of Tony's desk. "Any news on Kate?"

"Not this morning," he said. "She should be arriving at the conference any time now - I guess she didn't have time to call before that."

"How late is it over there now?"

"Middle of the afternoon, I think. Is Spain one or two time zones away from Germany?"

"It's the same time zone," Gibbs said, walking into the bullpen and sitting down behind his desk. "Hey, Abs."

"Hey, Gibbs," she said cheerfully. "No new cases?"

Gibbs smirked. "Aren't you busy enough?"

Abby pulled a face and wanted to answer, but didn't when she saw Director Morrow appear on the stairs in the middle of the office. He stopped when he was standing on the platform in the middle and looked down on his agents with a very serious expression on his face.

"May I have your attention, ladies and gentleman," he said loudly. The conversations around the office immediately ceased as everybody looked up to the director.

"News just arrived over government channels concerning the vice-president," the director started. "As you know, the vice-president is currently in Madrid, Spain, where he was supposed to take part in a conference today."

Tony slowly leaned forward in his chair. What was this about?

Morrow continued: "We were informed that half-an-hour ago there was an attempt on the vice-president's life." Worried whispers started around the bullpen, but Morrow lifted his hands in a calming gesture. "The vice-president is unharmed. A shooter was in the crowd in front of the governmental building and took several shots, but thanks to the agents from the Secret Service the vice-president was kept out of the line of fire. Sadly enough, the attempt cost an agent's life. Another was wounded."

Tony shot up from his chair. "What was the name of the agent, the agent who died?" he blurted out, his voice hardly under control. He felt like all the blood had suddenly drained from his brain. There was total blankness inside his head, only leaving one thought: It can't be Kate!

"The name of the agent was not mentioned in the report," Director Morrow answered.

"Was it a man or a woman?" Abby asked.

"I am sorry, but I don't have any further information on the identity of the agent," Director Morrow said. "The vice-president will soon return to the United States. The conference has been cancelled until the motives of the shooter have been determined."

When the director climbed back up the stairs, Abby turned around to face Tony and jumped when she saw how pale he'd gone. He was still standing between his chair and his desk and was staring at the place where the director had been standing seconds before. Fighting down her own worry she walked around the table and pulled Tony into a hug. "It wasn't her, Tony," she whispered. "She's okay, I know it." She felt how Tony's arms closed around her back. He was holding her so tightly it hurt, but she didn't pull back. "It's okay," she whispered to him, patting his shoulder. "It's okay."

But suddenly Tony let her go. "I have to call her!" he exclaimed, already dialing her number on his cell.

"Abby, what's this about?" Gibbs asked. He had approached Tony's desk and his gaze was wandering between Tony and Abby.

Abby stepped closer to Gibbs so she didn't have to talk too loudly and said: "Tony's girlfriend Kate - my best friend - is one of the agents protecting the vice-president. She was there with him, in Madrid."

Gibbs nodded, just when Tony let out a frustrated scream. "She's not answering her phone! I was sent to voicemail." Then he started talking into the phone, telling Kate to call him back as soon as she heard this.

"I'm sure that she doesn't have time to answer her phone right now," Gibbs said. "She must be busy getting the vice-president onto his plane safely."

"Yeah," Tony said, sounding hopeful. "Yeah, that must be it." He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the office as if unsure what to do next. His eyes fell upon the large screen on the wall where a news program was constantly running.

"Couldn't we find out the name over news channels?" Tony asked. "Abby, couldn't you hack in? I mean…"

But Gibbs intervened. "The Secret Service is not going to release the name before the family has been informed. It will be awhile before the news gets the information."

"The family?" Tony asked. He hadn't even thought of the Todds yet. Should he call them to find out if they knew anything? But he'd risk worrying them. What should he do?

"Tony," Abby said in a calming voice, walking over to him again and putting her arm around his shoulders. She was terribly afraid herself, but she knew it was nothing compared to what Tony must be going through. Tony and Kate were so close; she had never seen a relationship like theirs before.

"There are so many agents over there with the vice-president," Abby said. "The chances are minimal that it was Kate who…"

"There aren't that many agents who protect the vice-president directly," Tony replied. "Only a handful that are really close enough to him to protect him from a bullet." Suddenly his knees went weak and he had to sit down. In his mind he saw Kate jumping into the line of fire, taking a bullet that was meant for someone else. The terrible thing was that he knew she'd do it without hesitation.

Subconsciously he took out his cell phone again and dialed her number. After six rings, he was sent into voicemail and ended the call without leaving another message.

"Tony?" Abby put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into her face. "Tony, do you want me to take you home?" she asked.

"No." He shook his head. "I don't want to go home." If any new information were released he'd know about it sooner if he stayed at the office. Inn addition to that, he didn't think that he could face his empty apartment now.

Gibbs' gaze met Abby's and he saw the pleading in her eyes. She was really worried about her friend, Kate, and about Tony. "I'll go and talk to the director," Gibbs said and walked over to the stairs.

Tony buried his face in his hands and forced himself to take several deep breaths. He had to calm down. It was not in the least like him to lose his composure like that. Abby was right in principle. There were many other agents apart from Kate. It could have hit anyone. But no matter how reasonable he tried to be, all he could think about was that he might never see Kate alive again. What would he do? It was impossible for him to imagine a life without her.

When Gibbs returned he was shaking his head. "The director tried to get a name from the Secret Service, but they shut down completely. No information gets out right now."

Suddenly Abby jumped up from Tony's desk. "Tony! Don't you know someone else who's working for the Secret Service? I mean, when you organized the Christmas surprise for Kate you talked to someone who…"

"Jean!" Tony exclaimed, immediately reaching for his phone. Kate's friend, Jean, from the staff office who'd helped him get Christmas Eve off for Kate. She'd know what had happened.

Jean answered her phone after the second ring and Tony immediately started to talk: "Jean, this is Tony DiNozzo, Kate Todd's boyfriend. Do you remember me? We talked on the phone before Christmas…"

"Yes, Tony, of course I remember." She sounded very professional, not like the last time when they had talked.

"Jean, please, you have to help me. I know that one of the agents protecting the vice-president was shot today. I have to know if Kate is alright. Please! She isn't answering her phone and I don't know who else to talk to. Jean?"

"Tony, I understand that you're worried," she said, a bit friendlier now. "But I can't tell you anything. First of all, I don't have the name myself. I don't know who was shot or wounded today. And if I had it, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you, I'm sorry."

"No, Jean, please. Can't you find out? Or contact the plane they're on and ask. Or…please, Jean, I need your help!" He was really begging now.

"I am sorry," she said, still calm and professional. "I can't help you. But I hope that Kate is alright."

"No, no, don't…" But she had already ended the call.

"Damn it!" Tony shouted, fighting against the overwhelming urge to throw his desk over. Abby tried to calm him down, but he pushed her away and stormed through the bullpen, down the corridor that led to the interrogation rooms. Halfway down the corridor he stopped and slammed his fist into a wall. A stinging pain shot through his hand and up his arm as he screamed, half in pain, half in frustration. He couldn't lose Kate, he couldn't!

Abby found him five minutes later sitting on the floor of the corridor, leaning against the wall. She called Ducky and told him to come up and have a look at Tony's hand. At first, Tony didn't want any help, but then he let the doctor look at his sore knuckles. He didn't even wince while Ducky examined his hand.

"It's not broken," Ducky said when he had finished. "But it will definitely hurt for several days."

"Tony, are you really sure that you don't want me to take you home?" Abby asked again.

Tony shook his head determinedly. So Abby followed him back to his desk and watched him sit down behind it and bury his face in his hands.

Gibbs came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should go down to your lab again," he suggested. "I'll keep an eye on him."

With a sigh, Abby nodded. She knew she couldn't do anything up here and Tony didn't want her help right now. "Will you call me as soon as there is any news?" she asked.

Gibbs nodded.

Tony hadn't heard a word of their short exchange. He was too far gone in his thoughts. He was thinking of the last night he had spent with Kate. What a night it had been! And then that silly argument in the bathroom - he was so glad they had sorted that out right away. Had he told her he loved her before she had left for the airport? He couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember? What else had he said to her that morning? What had he forgotten to say to her? There were so many things he wanted to tell her.

He clenched his hurt hand into a fist because the pain was soothing. It also brought tears to his eyes, but he didn't care.

Tony took his cell phone out again and looked at it. He dialed Kate's number and waited. When he was sent to voicemail, he ended the call and dialed again. Voicemail. He dialed again. He did it again and again. If Kate had her cell phone with her she'd have to answer it at some point - even if it took hours. If she didn't have it with her - or couldn't answer it for reasons Tony didn't want to think about - there had to be someone near enough who would be wondering why a cell phone was ringing for hours on end and would maybe answer it.

Half an hour passed. Tony must have dialed Kate's number sixty times by now. When suddenly a click on the other end of the line signaled that someone had taken the call, Tony was so surprised that at first he didn't know what to do. Then he came back to his senses - and his power of speech - and called Kate's name. "Kate? Kate, are you okay?"

But it wasn't Kate who answered. Tony heard a deep male voice that asked him: "Who's there?"

Tony was so shocked that it wasn't Kate who'd answered that he almost dropped his cell. No! Where was she? Why wasn't she answering?

"Hello?" he said again, his voice shaking. "This is Tony DiNozzo, NCIS. Where's Kate Todd? Is she okay?"

"She can't answer the phone right now," the male voice said coldly. "Whatever business the NCIS has with her, it will have to wait until later."

"No wait!" Tony exclaimed, before the other could end the call. "This is not about business. It's private…I…We were informed that a Secret Service agent died in the line of duty. I'm Kate's boyfriend. Please, please, sir, I need to know if she's okay."

"I'm sorry, Agent DiNozzo, but I can't release any information to you."

"Why can't she answer her phone?" Tony asked, close to tears now. "Please! Was she hurt? You have to tell me - just say that she's alive." Something had to be wrong otherwise she would have answered her phone herself. Tony's entire body was shaking with tension. He couldn't think straight. "Sir…" he tried again. "Are you Agent Jordan or Bailey? Please! Is she alive? Just say yes or no."

"I'm Agent Jordan," the other man answered. "And it wasn't Agent Todd who died. She's alive."

When Tony let out the breath he had been holding, it sounded like a sob. "Thank god!" he whispered, relief washing through him and making his body go numb. He had difficulty holding the phone up to his ear.

"Can I talk to her?" he wanted to know.

"That's not possible right now," Agent Jordan said, in a more friendly tone. "Agent Todd suffered a gunshot wound to her right arm. She's okay, but she was in pain, so the doctor sedated her."

"She's hurt?" Tony repeated, worry returning.

"It's only a flesh wound," Agent Jordan said. "She'll be fine."

"Okay…" Tony muttered, his voice trailing off. "Are you on your way back?"

"Yes. And I'll make sure that Agent Todd gets home safely - I'll personally take her. That young lady did an amazing job back there."

"Thank you," Tony whispered, too numb to speak louder. "Would you mind calling me when you're on your way?"

"Kate will call you," Agent Jordan said, causing a small smile to appear on Tony's face.

"Thank you," he repeated.

"You're welcome," Agent Jordan said then he ended the call.

Tony sank back in his chair, the hand with the cell phone dropping down into his lap. Suddenly he felt like crying.

"Is she okay?" Gibbs asked from his desk where he had overheard Tony's end of the conversation.

Tony looked at Gibbs for a couple of seconds then he nodded. "She was hurt, but they say she'll be fine. They're bringing her back home."

"Then you should go and wait for her at home," Gibbs suggested.

Tony immediately got up from his chair, holding on to the table because his knees were still weak. "Thank you, boss," he said. "I might have to take a couple of days off - Kate could need my help at home."

Gibbs didn't look very happy, but he still nodded and dismissed Tony with a wave of his hand.

"I'll go down to Abby and tell her that Kate is alright," Tony said, grabbing his things and leaving the office.

* * *

Tony waited in his apartment for Kate to call, longing to hear her voice. But the flight was long and it was already late in the afternoon when his cell phone rang and he saw her name on the display.

"Kate?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's me," she answered.

Tony collapsed onto his couch in relief, a huge smile appearing on his face. "Sweetie, are you okay?" he wanted to know. "How's the wound?"

"It's hurting," she admitted, and Tony noticed how weak her voice sounded.

"Have you already landed?" Tony asked. "Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No, thank you. I'm already in a car with Agent Jordan. He's taking me home."

"Tell him to take you to my place," Tony said. "I can look after you."

"Okay," she said silently. The fact that she wasn't trying to argue told Tony everything he needed to know about the state she was in.

"I love you, Kate," he said. "I was so worried."

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"I'm waiting for you."

As soon as they had ended the call, Tony walked over to the window and looked down onto the street. He had to wait for 45 minutes until he saw a black government car turning onto his street. He was out the door within seconds and took the stairs to the ground floor, three at a time. When he reached the sidewalk outside of the building, the car had already pulled up and a man in his fifties, dressed in a black suit, was just about to help Kate out of the car. She had to hold on to the man's arm with her left hand and struggled to get up from the seat. Tony saw that she was wearing her right arm in a sling. The jacket of her suit was draped around her shoulders, but he could still see some bloodstains on her white blouse.

He rushed over to her, calling her name, and as soon as Kate saw him she took a couple of careful steps towards him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. When Tony reached her, he took her face in his hands and caught her lips in a kiss that turned out to be more passionate than he had intended. But the moment their lips touched all the emotions of the day bubbled up inside of him again. The fear of losing her and the horror he'd felt at the thought of maybe having to spend his life without her came back full blast and he tried to get a hold on his emotions by putting them into the kiss.

When he let go of her, Kate immediately stepped into his open arms and sank into him, burying her face in his chest. Tony carefully wrapped an arm around her, tangling the fingers of his other hand in her hair. When he kissed the top of her head, he had tears in his eyes. "I've got you," he whispered into her hair. "It's okay."

The man Tony took for Agent Jordan carried Kate's suitcase up the steps to the front door. He was also carrying a small bag that he gave to Tony. "There are pain killers and antibiotics in there," he explained. "Agent Todd is supposed to see a doctor tomorrow. You can take her to a hospital or to headquarters."

"I will," Tony said. "Thank you."

Jordan nodded and smiled at Kate, who had let go of Tony by now and was only leaning against his side. "Take care!" he told her before getting back into the car and driving away.

Kate slipped her hand into Tony's and rested her head on his shoulder tiredly while she watched the car leaving.

"Are you okay?" Tony whispered into her hair.

"The painkillers make me feel dizzy," she mumbled, her voice slightly blurred.

"Come on then," Tony said, rubbing Kate's back with his free hand. "Let's go upstairs; it's cold out here." Tony would have carried her, but he was afraid he'd hurt her arm and so he only put an arm around her back and led her up the stairs. They were silent during the elevator ride, but their hands were tightly clasped all the time.

Tony set the suitcase down inside his living room and dropped the bag next to it before turning around to face Kate, who had taken a couple of steps into his apartment. When he had waited for her before, there had been a hundred things in his head that he wanted to tell her. Now that she was there with him he couldn't think of any of it anymore. Looking at her made his heart beat faster. She looked so terribly small and delicate, standing in the middle of his living room with her arm in a sling. He walked over to her, stepping in front of her, and with a gentle hand under her chin he tilted her face up so she'd look at him. She was very pale, almost grey in the face, and Tony got so worried that his throat tightened. He gently cupped her face with both hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

But Kate only shook her head and took a step forward to bury her face in the crook of his neck. Tony wrapped his arms around her, very careful not to touch her wounded arm. "Later," she whispered almost inaudibly. "I can't talk about it now."

"That's okay," Tony said, kissing her hair. "I think we should get you into bed, sweetie."

Kate nodded and he led her into the bedroom where he made her sit down on the bed while he looked for the T-shirt she liked to wear instead of pajamas. When he'd found it in his closet, he realized that there wasn't a chance she could put it on with her wounded arm. So he took one of his older button-down shirts and carried it over to the bed.

Kate thanked him quietly, but when she looked at him he could see the self-consciousness in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked gently, stroking her hair with one hand.

"I can't do it on my own," she admitted. "Can you help me? Help me get undressed?"

Tony smiled when he realized that even in her wounded state Kate still didn't like the idea to depend on others - or to be a burden for others - he wasn't sure which one it was right now.

"Of course," he said, stroking her cheek, and kissed her lightly on the lips. First he took the jacket off her shoulders and was shocked to see how much blood there really was on her blouse. Her right side was drenched in red. The right arm of her blouse had been cut open and he could see the bandage around her upper arm. Carefully he loosened the sling from around her neck so that he could help her out of her blouse. Kate let out a whimper when she tried to move her arm.

Tony winced at the sound of pain and was very careful when he unbuttoned her blouse. When he had finally managed to get her into his shirt and had readjusted the sling, he let out the breath he'd been holding and relaxed a bit. Kate was now even paler than before.

"I'm so sorry" he said contritely. "Did it hurt a lot?"

Kate lifted her left hand to his face and stroked his cheek then pulled him to her and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You are the best nurse ever," she told him, managing a convincing smile.

Tony's face lit up at her words. But he wasn't done yet. So he made her lie back on the bed and placed his hands on her hips for a moment before opening the button and zipper of her dress pants and slowly sliding them down her legs. When he was done he lightly trailed his fingers over her hips and when he saw her smile, he leaned down and placed a kiss just below her navel.

Kate chuckled and that sound made him so happy that a huge grin appeared on his face. He placed one hand on the side of her neck and when Kate looked at him, he leaned down to kiss her lips.

"Do you need anything else?" he finally asked her. "One of your pills?"

Kate shook her head.

"Okay," Tony whispered, brushing his lips over her temple. "Then I'll let you sleep now."

"No!" Kate grabbed his hand and held on to it. "Stay with me," she almost pleaded.

"Of course," he said, stroking her hair lovingly. He helped her under the covers and slipped in beside her, letting her rest her head on his arm.

Tony turned onto his side and draped his free arm over her stomach. He needed the feeling of being able to protect her - and he wanted her to feel protected. What had happened today must have been a terrible experience for her. In his relief to learn that she was still alive he had completely forgotten that there was another agent who had lost his life. It could have been a friend of hers.

"Kate?" he whispered into her hair.

"Hmm?"

"I'm there for you whenever you want to talk. But if you don't want to talk that's okay too."

"Thank you," she whispered, running her hand over his arm.

It was silent in the room for another minute, but then Tony spoke again: "Kate?"

"Yeah?" she asked sleepily.

"I was terribly scared today," Tony admitted silently. "I could've lost you."

"I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

"I love you."

"I love you too," she answered, her words already heavy with sleep.

tbc …


	13. Hero Part 2

_A/N: I know it's been three weeks since I last updated - so sorry. But January is the end of term in Austria and school is keeping me (and my beta :) busy. So, I'm sorry, but I'm sure that you're going to like this one!_

**Chapter 13: Hero, Part 2**

Kate woke up the next morning and had great difficulty finding her back to reality. The thoughts in her head felt thick like syrup, and her memories were blurred. Then, slowly, one sensation forced its way into her consciousness: pain. Pain that was pulsing through her body and was making her want to scream. But she merely groaned, silently, trying to fight the pain by concentrating on where and why it was hurting. As soon as she localized the source of the pain in her arm, she started to remember. The memory of the shooting and her wounded arm returned. Opening her eyes with some difficulty, she looked at the alarm clock on her side of the bed. It was almost 8 a.m. She had taken one of her painkillers at two in the morning, but its effect had obviously already worn off. Where were the pills? She didn't see them standing on her bedside table so she tried to get up into a sitting position to look at Tony's side of the bed. She winced with pain at the mere attempt to move her arm.

Tony woke up when he felt her move and was wide awake when he heard her moan of pain.

"Kate? What is it?" he asked worriedly, turning to face her and placing a hand on her forehead.

"I need another pill," she forced out through clenched teeth.

"I'll get you one!" He grabbed the small bottle of pills from his nightstand and shook one into his hand. Kate swallowed it without water, but he still held the glass to her lips and let her take a sip.

"Thank you," she muttered, lying back onto the pillows. Her forehead was glistening with sweat - she obviously was in a lot of pain.

Tony carefully pushed an arm under her shoulders, helped her up into a sitting position and made her lean against him. He stroked her hair with one hand and pressed his cheek to her forehead, whispering soothing words to her.

It took ten minutes for the pill to kick in and when it finally did, Kate relaxed her left hand that she had fisted in the fabric of Tony's T-shirt.

"Better?" he wanted to know. He felt her nod, but she didn't let go of him, so he continued stroking her hair.

"Can I have that glass of water again?" Kate asked and Tony handed it to her, waited until she'd emptied it and put it back onto the nightstand.

"I need to take you to the doctor today," Tony reminded her. "Do you want to go to a hospital or to headquarters?"

"To headquarters," Kate said. "That makes the paperwork easier."

"Okay. What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm not really hungry."

"But you have to eat something," Tony said.

"Okay, mom," Kate sighed. Suddenly he felt her jump.

"What is it?" he asked, expecting her to be in pain again.

"My mother!" Kate exclaimed. "I forgot to call my parents yesterday. And the incident might already be on the news."

"Where's your cell phone?"

"I switched it off last night." Kate managed to get out of bed at a remarkable speed, considering that she had to untangle the sheets from around her body using only one arm. She hurried out into the living room and one minute later she shouted: "I have ten unanswered calls from her!"

Tony winced. They should have thought of calling her parents. He got out of bed too and went into the kitchen, listening to Kate's attempts to calm down her obviously hysterical mother. He filled coffee into the machine and switched it on, then he opened a fresh package of toast and put two slices into the toaster.

Five minutes later Kate came into the kitchen, looking stressed.

"Is your mother okay?"

"She is now. She heard about the incident an hour ago and tried to call me. She was crying when I called her back," Kate sighed. "That was stupid of me."

Tony handed her a mug and smiled at her. "You were exhausted yesterday. Don't blame yourself."

Kate nodded. "She's okay now - and she's very happy that I'm staying here with you. She might even have flown to D.C. if she hadn't been sure that I have someone to look after me."

"Now you're glad that you've got me, right?" Tony joked.

Kate set her mug on the counter, stepped close to Tony and pulled him down to kiss him. Then she wrapped her good arm around his waist and leaned against his chest, rubbing her cheek over the fabric of his T-shirt.

"What was that for?" Tony asked and kissed her head.

"It was also very stupid not to call you yesterday as soon as I was on the plane," she admitted. "I am very sorry. But things were so hectic and I really was in quite a lot of pain..."

"Hey," he said gently. "I understand that."

"Yeah, but if it had been you and I hadn't known what had happened…" She shook her head. "It must have been terrible."

Instead of answering, Tony hugged her more tightly to him. He didn't even want to think about yesterday morning. Those had been the most terrible hours of his life.

While Kate was eating her toast in the kitchen, Tony went into the living room and switched on the TV to watch the news. The attempt on the vice-president's life was on all the channels. They also had a video from a Spanish news channel, filmed from the stairs of the governmental building in Madrid. It showed the vice-president's limousine pull up in front of the building. Tony saw Kate get out of the car after another Secret Service agent; then they waited next to the door of the car. The vice-president got out next, smiling and waving to the people who had assembled in front of the building. Flanked by two agents, one of which was Kate, the vice-president started to climb the stairs. He had only reached the first step when the first shot could be heard. The agent on the vice-president's right went to the ground, but Kate on his left immediately grabbed the vice-president's arm and pulled him aside, pushing his head down in the same movement. That was when the second shot was fired. Tony could actually see how the bullet hit Kate's arm. Blood shot out of the wound. But Kate didn't let go of the vice-president and continued to pull him back to his car. When they were inside the car again, it drove away with screeching tires.

Tony was watching the scene with his mouth wide open. Oh my god! There was a national hero sitting in his kitchen! He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. Kate had reacted with the reflexes of a cat, not wasting a single thought on her own safety. There was no doubt to him that she had saved the vice-president's life.

"Tony?" Kate shouted from the kitchen. "Don't you want to eat something?"

"I'm coming!" Tony shouted back, slowly getting up from the couch.

When he entered the kitchen, Kate turned to look at him.

"It's all over the news," he said, sitting down across from her. "They have a video."

"Do they?" Kate asked, only sounding mildly interested.

"Do you want to see it?"

She shook her head. "I'm sure I'll see it often enough during the next few days. I think I'll take a shower now."

"Do you need my help?"

"No thank you," Kate said. "I think I can manage a simple shower." She smiled at him and left the kitchen.

Later, Tony drove Kate to the Secret Service headquarters to have her wound checked in the sick-ward. He waited in the car for her because Kate said it would be faster if they didn't have to get him a security pass first. It was true. After not much more than half-an-hour, she was back again with a new bandage and another bottle of pills.

"Another check in two days," she informed him.

On the ride back home Tony kept stealing side glances at Kate. She was looking out of the window the whole time and wasn't talking much.

"Kate?" Tony said when they were almost home. "The agent who got killed yesterday - who was he?"

Kate slowly turned her head to look at him. "His name was Bill Ingles. He was only a couple of years older than me."

"Did you know him well?"

"Not really," she said.

"Did he have a family?"

"Tony…" Kate sighed. "I'd really rather not talk about it right now."

"Okay," he said, not wanting to push her. But it worried him that she refused to talk about yesterday's events. He knew it was bothering her and it would be good for her to talk about it. But he couldn't force her to tell him, so he had to let it go.

Back at his apartment Tony prepared the living room for Kate. He piled a stack of DVDs on the coffee table, placed food and cans of soda all around her and got her loads of blankets because he knew that she was always cold when she was watching TV.

When Kate saw what he was doing she laughed. "You do know that I can move perfectly well, right?" she asked him. "You don't have to put everything into my reach."

"I want you to rest," Tony said. "And that includes not having to walk around to get the things you need."

Kate smiled and didn't protest when he steered her over to the couch and made her sit down on it. She accepted the kiss he dropped on her lips and knew exactly what was going to come when he looked at her with puppy eyes.

"Okay, which movie do you want to watch?" she asked him.

Tony grinned and took the first DVD from the stack on the coffee table.

* * *

Abby came to visit them after work and immediately rushed over to Kate to hug her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed. "I was so worried!"

"Thank you, Abby," Kate said, trying to breathe while Abby was pressing the air out of her lungs.

Tony smiled at the two and waited until Abby had let Kate go before he said: "Hey, Abby, I need to go grocery shopping. If you could stay here, that would be great. Then Kate wouldn't be alone."

"Sure!"

"Tony!" Kate groaned. "You don't have to leave a babysitter here with me! Not that I don't want your company, Abby."

Abby merely shrugged it off.

When Tony had left the apartment, Kate sighed deeply. "I've never seen him so overprotective," she said. "He doesn't even let me get a glass of water on my own."

Abby smiled. "Be patient with him," she said. "He was having a hard time yesterday when he tried to find out what had happened to you."

"Was it very bad?"

"I've never seen anyone who was so scared. He might have lost you, Kate. I don't think there's anything he fears more."

Kate nodded silently. "I think I'd act the same way," she admitted.

"See?"

Kate smiled then remembered something. "Abby, what happened to Tony's hand? I noticed it was very sore, but he wouldn't tell me what happened."

"Oh, that … Maybe you should ask Tony again."

"Why? Abby, what happened?"

"Well, you see…he called that friend of yours - the one who helped him arrange your holiday for Christmas."

"Jean?"

"Yeah, her. He called her to find out if you were okay, but she wouldn't tell him and he got so angry that he stormed out of the office. He didn't tell me what happened to his hand either, but I guess he slammed it into a wall."

"What?" Kate exclaimed. "On purpose?"

Abby shrugged. "You should really ask Tony. I don't know what happened."

"Okay, thank you."

They soon changed the subject and talked about different things. Kate and Abby hadn't talked in almost ten days and they both had a lot of gossip to share.

Abby stayed for dinner. They also invited her to watch a movie later, but she said she didn't have time because she was going bowling.

When Tony and Kate were alone again they sat on the couch and Tony switched on the TV. Of course the first thing they saw was another report on the attempt on the vice-president. They were showing the video of the incident again.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Kate said and got up.

"Kate, wait a moment."

"Tony," she sighed. "I don't need any help in the bathroom."

"No, that's not…I wanted to ask why you don't want to watch the report. You haven't seen the video once."

Kate stopped, but didn't turn to face him. "I don't need to watch it, Tony, I was there."

"Yeah, but I don't think you really had time to figure out what happened. Here you can see it."

At that moment, the shots could be heard on TV and Kate flinched. She walked away without looking back once. Tony waited for her to come back, but after five minutes he went to look for her and found her in the bedroom where she was sitting on the bed with her legs folded under her. She was staring blankly at her hand that was drawing nonsense patterns on the bedspread.

Tony stopped in the doorway and gently knocked on the doorframe with his good hand.

"Do you want to be alone?" he asked when Kate looked at him.

Slowly she shook her head and held out her left hand to him, so he walked over to her and sat down next to her on the bed. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before dropping his hand to her shoulder and gently squeezing it.

"Kate, I'd like to know why you're upset," he said quietly. "I know you've been shot and that's a perfectly valid reason to not feel good, but I think there's something else. I'm worried about you."

"What happened to your hand?" Kate asked all of a sudden.

Tony blinked twice before figuring out what she was talking about then he lifted his right hand and looked at his bruised knuckles. "I got angry when nobody wanted to tell me if you're okay. I was worried about you and I got so frustrated that I might have collided with a wall."

"On purpose?"

Tony shrugged.

Kate carefully took his right hand, bent down and kissed his knuckles before turning his hand around and pressing a kiss to his palm. Then she leaned against Tony's side and he moved up the bed to lean against the headboard, pulling Kate to his side so that her head was resting on his shoulder.

"On the flight to Europe I got to talk to Bill Ingles, the agent who got killed," Kate said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was only a coincidence - we went to get a coffee at the same time." She looked up at Tony, who nodded in understanding. He kissed her forehead and wrapped both arms around her waist.

"He showed me pictures of his son, Jeremy. He's only six months old." Kate took a deep breath to steady her voice. "We talked for almost an hour," she continued. "I got to like him a lot."

"I'm sorry, Kate," Tony whispered into her hair. "It's terrible that he got killed."

Kate nodded slowly. "I feel so bad because of it, Tony, I…"

"But it's not your fault," Tony said. "The first shot hit him directly. Nobody could have saved him."

"No, but…but…I don't know."

"No, Kate, what is it? Tell me."

"I can't. It's terrible."

Tony leaned back slightly and placed a hand under her chin to be able to look at her face. It was wet from tears. "Kate, whatever it is, just tell me," he said tenderly.

Kate closed her eyes and brushed a tear from the tip of her nose.

"It all happened very fast," she said. "There was the first shot and I immediately grabbed the vice-president. Then I saw that Bill was on the ground. He'd been shot in the back - I knew he was dead and I got so scared. I was trying to get the vice-president to his car when the second shot was fired. I felt that I was hit, but at first I couldn't tell where. It…I don't know why…maybe it was the adrenaline. And suddenly I was inside the car with the vice-president and we were driving away and I saw that it was only my arm." Her voice broke at the last words, and she swallowed thickly before continuing: "Suddenly…suddenly…when I realized that I wasn't wounded badly, I was so relieved. And for a moment I felt glad that it had hit Bill and not me. I was…" She tried to continue, but she was sobbing so hard by now that she couldn't speak any more.

Tony sat up and pulled her to him, tangling one hand in her hair. He kissed her face and held her tightly, desperately almost. He didn't want to be reminded of how close he'd come to losing her. And he didn't want to hear Kate crying about it.

"How could I?" she sobbed. "He had a family at home - a little kid - and I was glad that it had hit him and not me. It should have been me, Tony! Why wasn't it me?"

"No," Tony said, his voice shaky. "Please don't say that," he pleaded. "I couldn't lose you, Kate. Please don't say that." He was also close to tears now. He knew that he must be hurting Kate because he was holding her too tightly, but he couldn't bring himself to loosen his grip on her.

It took some time until he had calmed down himself and was able to see to Kate. She was shaking violently in his arms, still crying. He lifted her up and pulled the blanket out from under her before laying her down again and wrapping the blanket around both of them. He stroked her hair and her back and whispered soothingly to her until she stopped shaking and her sobs subsided. Tears were still falling from her eyes, but he gave her time to cry them out.

When he felt she was in a mental state that allowed her to listen to him, he started talking to her: "The need to survive is a human instinct, Kate. We can't do anything about it. You're only feeling guilty because you're the one who survived, but there was nothing you could have done to save Bill. Nothing. Your job was to protect the vice-president - which you did. You saved him, Kate. You did your job so Bill didn't die in vain."

Kate's breathing had slowed down and she wasn't crying anymore. He could feel the fingers of her left hand on his chest, her fingertips drawing small patterns on the fabric of his shirt.

"Kate?" he whispered after some minutes of silence. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you. I'm really sorry for Agent Ingles' family, but I can't be sorry that it was him and not you. I can't."

He felt her nod while at the same time she shifted closer to him and snaked her arm around his waist. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and closed his eyes. He had almost dozed off when Kate said:

"The funeral is on the day after tomorrow. Would you go with me?"

"Of course I will," he whispered, kissing her forehead and closing his arms safely around her.

* * *

The funeral was heartbreaking: the crying widow with a crying baby in her arms, and many words full of pathos spoken about the man who died for his country. All the time Kate clung to Tony's arm and avoided the looks of her colleagues. But when the funeral was over and the guests were heading home, a small crowd of people wearing black suits and sunglasses gathered around Kate and they all shook her hand. Tony stayed next to her; his right hand placed on the small of her back, and watched Kate. At first she was taken aback by the sudden interest in her, but when she realized that those people - her colleagues - hadn't come to accuse, but to congratulate her for what she'd done, she relaxed, even though she remained very silent.

When they arrived home, Kate went into the bedroom and lied down on the bed. Tony watched her for a while from the doorway, but then he decided to see if she was okay. He sat down on the bed next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Kate laid her hand on his, but asked him to leave her alone for a while. So Tony kissed her head and left the bedroom.

It took two hours for her to come out of the bedroom, but when she did she seemed to be feeling better. She sat down next to Tony on the couch and snuggled up to his side. Tony cuddled and kissed her, glad that she had finally come to him.

* * *

Tony went back to work the next day, but he still wanted Kate to stay at his apartment. Kate argued that she was perfectly capable of living on her own - and that Tony could stay at her apartment for a change. But Tony talked her out of it, mostly by begging her to stay just a little while longer. He liked having her there with him. There wasn't really a difference to all the other days and nights she had spent at his place, but it felt different to him and he didn't want her to leave.

Still, each night when he came home, Kate asked him to accompany her to her place. But each time Tony talked her out of it and convinced her to stay - just for one more day.

When he came home from work one Wednesday evening, Kate had been living in his apartment for eight days. He unlocked the door and stepped into his apartment - and almost tripped over a packed bag that was standing right behind his door.

"Good, you're home," Kate said, coming out of the living room to greet him.

"What's this?" Tony asked, pointing at the bag.

"I packed," Kate informed him, stepping in front of him with a content smile on her lips. She gave him a quick kiss before continuing to explain: "I'm going back to my apartment tonight. You can give me a ride or I'll take a cab - I don't mind. But since you're very welcome to stay at my place tonight, I guess it would be the easiest thing if we take your car."

"But I thought…t-that…you…but…why?" he stuttered, not able to overcome the surprise of being confronted with a packed bag.

"Tony," Kate said gently, lifting her left hand to his cheek. "I've been here for more than a week. My arm isn't hurting anymore. There's no reason why I should be your guest any longer." She smiled at him and rose on her toes to kiss him again. "What's the difference, Tony? Why can't we stay at my place for a change?"

"Why don't you want to stay here?" he asked, sounding almost a bit hurt.

Kate sighed. "We already discussed this. My apartment is where I live. I keep my things there. I pay the loan. It's only logic to also spend some time there."

"But you could bring more of your stuff over here. There's still room."

"Yeah, but if I move all my stuff out of my apartment - it won't be my apartment anymore."

"And my apartment would be yours too," Tony concluded, smiling at her.

"Yeah, but I…"

"Kate," Tony interrupted her. "I'm trying to ask you something here - why aren't you listening?"

"What?" Kate asked. She really had been concentrating so much on convincing him that she hadn't paid much attention to what he'd actually said.

Shaking his head, Tony cupped her face with both hands and leaned down until he was eye-level with her. "What I'm trying to do here is convince you to move in with me," he said slowly, articulating every word. "Could you please stop arguing now?"

"You want us to move together?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Yes!"

Suddenly her expression softened and she broke into a radiant smile. "Of course I want to!" she laughed.

"You do?"

"Yes!"

Tony let out a triumphant laugh and pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around, one, two, three times. When he set her down again her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining.

"If you think we don't have enough room here, we can look for another apartment," Tony said. "But I think we could live here for some time."

Kate nodded, looking at him with a serious expression in her eyes. "Tony, are you really sure? Do you think we'd get along?"

"We're spending all of our free time together anyway," he said. "Maybe we'll argue about cleaning the bathroom and taking out the trash - but we're already doing that now. I want you here, Kate. Really."

"Okay," she nodded, starting to smile again. "Let's do it."


	14. Santa Barbara

_A/N: I'm sorry. I know this has taken ages. Thanks for being so patient with me. Great thanks (again) to Mandi for the beta!_

**Chapter 14: Santa Barbara**

Kate fished her keys out of her purse and readjusted the strap on her shoulder before unlocking the door. She stepped into the hall and closed the door silently behind her, just in case Tony was already sleeping. She had been scheduled to have the afternoon off, but one of her colleagues had fallen ill and she'd had to pull a double shift. Now it was half-past eleven.

She slipped out of her shoes and coat, and dropped her keys into the bowl next to Tony's. The sound in which they fell into the glass was already familiar to her. Kate smiled; it was the first time that she was living together with a man. She had been nervous in the beginning, but now, after a month and a half, she found that it was going well. She liked having Tony in one apartment with her; liked to hear him in another room when she was reading a magazine or drawing something in her sketchbook. She liked falling asleep next to him every single night and waking up next to him in the morning. She liked having his stuff all around her - even though it sometimes drove her crazy when his socks were lying on the floor or when he dropped wet towels on the bed.

She had to admit it could be difficult some times. They were bickering more than before, about trivial things, like who was allowed to have the remote control, or whose turn it was to make coffee - but those couldn't really be called fights. It wasn't fighting when you had a smile on your face. But there had also been incidents where they hadn't been smiling. Like the first time when Tony had invited his friends over to watch a game. Kate had wanted to go out with Hannah, but then Hannah had cancelled their plans and Kate had stayed at home too. She had stayed in the bedroom most of the time to read, but had walked through the living room once or twice to go into the kitchen. Each time Tony had sent her a look that definitely meant: "Does this have to be now?"

When his friends were gone, Kate and Tony had had a huge argument. He had accused her of not respecting his right to spend time with his friends and she had accused him of overreacting. After shouting at each other for ten minutes, Kate had asked him, under tears, why he had asked her to move in with him when he didn't want her there at all. Tony hadn't replied because he had been sulking, so Kate had stormed into the bedroom, had gotten Tony's pillow and a blanket and had told him that he was going to sleep on the couch.

They had both lied awake until three in the morning. When Kate couldn't take it any more she had gotten up to go into the living room. But when she had opened the door of the bedroom, she had run into Tony, who had left the couch to come to her. Without exchanging a word they had started to kiss. Wrapped in each other's arms, they had finally been able to sleep.

That had been one of the most severe incidents. There were others, too; such as one day Tony and Kate had both been so pissed off, because of things that had happened at work, that in the evening they hadn't had an ounce of patience left. It had been enough that Tony had forgotten to take down the trash in the morning to start a huge argument about responsibility and they had gotten so loud that one of the neighbors had started thumping the wall. The noise had caught their attention and they had realized that they had been completely out of it. In the end they had laughed about it.

Smiling at the memory of their arguments, Kate quietly opened the door to the living room. Inside it was dark, except for the light of the running TV, which was on mute. Kate looked around and saw Tony sitting on the couch. His feet were resting on the coffee table and his chin had sunken down onto his chest. He was sleeping. Kate never understood why he always turned the volume down when he was starting to fall asleep in front of the TV instead of just switching it off completely.

Kate walked over to the couch and looked down on Tony. He was snoring lightly and his position didn't look very comfortable, but he was so cute that Kate couldn't stop smiling. Carefully she kneeled down next to him on the couch, facing him. She lightly touched his cheek with a hand and leaned closer. Tony moved his head and snorted, but didn't wake up. Biting her bottom lip, Kate traced her fingertips along the outline of his face, starting at his right temple, running it down over his cheekbone to his jaw. When she reached his chin, she stroked her thumb over his bottom lip then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. After two seconds she felt him respond and she smiled into the kiss.

"Good evening," she whispered against his lips.

Tony's hands grabbed her hips and he pulled her onto his lap. "Hi," he whispered, kissing her earlobe. "How late is it?"

"Half-past eleven."

"I was waiting for you."

"That's sweet, but you didn't have to."

Tony kissed the side of her neck and wrapped his arms around her back. "I wanted to," he whispered over her skin. He kissed the hollow of her throat and worked his way up her neck to her lips. Kate sank into him and almost purred like a cat when one of his hands drew small circles between her shoulder blades, massaging her stiff muscles. He kissed her for a few more seconds, then pulled back slightly and placed his hands on the sides of her neck.

"Turn around," he said and used his hands to maneuver her into a better position to reach her back and shoulders.

"Thank you!" Kate sighed and sat between his knees on the edge of the couch. Tony brushed her hair aside and kissed the nape of her neck before gently running his hands over her shoulders. When he started massaging her muscles with more pressure, Kate closed her eyes and moaned slightly. Her back had started feeling stiff around 5 p.m. - and she hadn't left the office before 11! Sometimes she really hated her job. But could she really complain? After all, she had gladly accepted the promotion she had been offered three weeks ago. She got more money now, but she also had more responsibility and when things didn't work out as they should, it was her job to do overtime and make them work. Today wasn't the first time she had gotten home late. It had happened once last week and twice the week before that. Tony hadn't complained, but he hadn't waited up for her each time either. He also had a very demanding job and they couldn't both be deprived of sleep when only one of them had to work late. But she hated not seeing him in the evenings.

Kate groaned when Tony hit a particularly tight spot. "Sorry," he muttered and gently rubbed her back.

"How was your day?" Kate asked after a few minutes.

"Good," he answered and she could hear in his voice that he was grinning.

"What happened?"

"Did you know that Agent Brewster's wife is a navy officer?"

Kate frowned, trying to figure out what this question could have to do with the reason for Tony's good day. "I had no idea," she replied.

"Well, she is and she is stationed in Norfolk - or was stationed. She's being transferred."

"Where?"

"Florida." She could hear that he was still grinning. She turned slightly and looked at him over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"They're moving!" Tony explained, no longer able to contain his excitement. "Next week. Friday is going to be his last day at NCIS here in Washington."

"Oh, so you're getting a new team member!"

"What? Uh … yeah … I guess so. But that's not the point, is it?" He smiled brightly at her. "Brewster is leaving!"

Kate smiled at him, shaking her head. "You're impossible," she told him, but her voice was gentle as she said it. "But, wait a second. With Brewster leaving next Friday - isn't it possible that your time off will be cancelled?"

"No, there's not going to be a problem," Tony assured her. "I talked to Gibbs. He says he needs the time to do job interviews. He's not making me stay."

They were going to Santa Barbara next weekend to visit Kate's brother and his family. On Sunday, Kate's sister-in-law would celebrate her thirtieth birthday and had invited them to the party. Kate had jumped at the chance to finally introduce Tony to her youngest brother, Cameron, and to finally see her youngest niece, Ava.

"Good," Kate sighed, relieved. She turned around to face Tony and sat on his lap again, snaking her arms around his neck and touching her forehead to his. "Thanks for the massage," she whispered.

"I never said I was finished yet," he said, running his hands over her hips.

"Oh?"

He grinned and started to explain: "You see, I am the inventor of the special Anthony-DiNozzo-relaxation-massage. But it only works when you're naked."

Kate rolled her eyes, but when he kissed her, she didn't hesitate to respond. No matter how tired or stressed she was from work, Tony always managed to make her completely forget about it.

* * *

On his last day at the office, Agent Brewster worked until noon. At twelve o'clock precisely, he got up and walked over to Gibbs. The two men shook hands and exchanged one of the looks Tony absolutely hated because they always made him feel like a) he was missing something, b) he didn't belong to the team, and c) they were doing it on purpose. Brewster also came over to Tony's desk and shook his hand. Afterwards his bones were hurting just like the first time he had shaken the giant's hand.

That moment, Abby came hurrying into the office and waved at Brewster with both hands. The agent laughed and pulled the lab tech into a one-armed hug.

"I wanted to throw a surprise party for you, but Gibbs said you wouldn't want it," Abby said, pouting in the general direction of Gibbs' desk.

"And he was right," Brewster said. "Take care, Abby."

Then he took the box that was standing on his desk and held the contents of his drawers and walked over to the elevators. Tony found himself wishing he had brought a camera so he could catch this moment and show it to his grandchildren one day.

"Why are you smiling?" Abby wanted to know, sitting down on the edge of Tony's desk.

"I…was just thinking of all the funny moments I had together with Brewster," Tony lied.

"Yeah…" Abby sighed. "So now it's only you and Gibbs."

Tony winced. "He's going to find a replacement soon," he said. "And maybe it will be someone nice. By the way - do you think Gibbs would think of taking on a woman for the team?"

"Why?" Abby asked, suddenly getting her "don't you forget that I'm your girlfriend's best friend"-stance.

"Nothing," Tony said quickly. "I just think that it might be a nice change following the work with Agent Brewster."

"And what if Gibbs hires a woman who weighs 250 pounds and sports a lady's beard?"

Tony shuddered visibly. "Do you always have to spoil the fun?"

Abby grinned and slid off his desk. "I need to get back to work," she said. "When's your flight leaving tomorrow?"

"8 am. And we're going to be back Wednesday night."

Tony left the office at 5 p.m. He was hoping that Kate might already be home, but was not surprised to find that she wasn't. He was looking forward to the prolonged weekend they would spend together. He had definitely been missing her since she had gotten the promotion. It was funny, but he had the feeling that they had been seeing each other less than before she had moved in with him.

In the beginning, Tony had been slightly scared of moving in with her - okay, maybe more than just slightly. He hadn't let it show, of course, since he had been the one to ask her in the first place, but he couldn't deny it either. An apartment was something very intimate and having someone living with you meant sharing everything with them. Kate really was a part of his life now. But much to his surprise he had soon found that he liked it. He liked being there to distract her when she came home from work and was totally stressed or simply pissed off. He liked sleeping in one bed with her every single night. He liked having her things in his apartment, even though they'd had to get a larger closet and she was still occupying more than half of it. And even though he complained about the scented candles in the bathroom and the vases with flowers in his living room, he wouldn't really want her to put them away because they were signs that this was the place where Kate lived.

When Tony got himself a beer from the fridge, he took some time to study the pictures Kate had recently attached to the fridge with his Simpsons magnets. There was a new one of her brother, Cam's new baby, the now four-month old Ava, whom they were going to get to know this weekend. Abby and Kate had broken out in squeals of "Awww!" when they had looked at the pictures Cam had sent. Well, the baby _was_ cute. She didn't have a single hair on her entire head, but she had huge blue eyes and on the picture she was sucking her thumb and looking very content. The night when Kate had gotten the phone call from Cam to tell her that Ava had been born, she had almost cried because she was missing her brother and his family, who lived in California. Tony had promised her that they would visit them as soon as they had the time, but they had never seemed to be able to find the time. If Cam and his wife Sharon hadn't invited them to the party, they might not have made any plans to visit them yet.

Taking his beer out, Tony looked at the other contents of the fridge and found that there were no leftovers there. He wondered if he should start a pasta sauce, but he had no idea if Kate would make it to dinner and he didn't want to cook for himself. Her new job was a real pest. Well, actually she still had the same job as before, but her security level was higher now and she had more authority over other agents. Tony didn't understand why this also meant that she had to work more. If he had gotten that promotion, he would use it to give work to other people and get home early himself.

With his beer Tony sat down on the couch and started thinking about the new team member they would be getting. He was still thinking that a woman on the team could be really interesting. And funny! He was sure that a woman would vomit when she saw her first dead body. He had seen it often enough when he was with the police department. Gibbs would hate it, but Tony would know how to make fun of her. And if, in addition to being a woman, she was also pretty…Tony knew that in the real world 99 percent of the population did not run around with the quality to be a super model, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to hope. What was wrong with wanting to work with someone who was attractive? It would definitely make the day more enjoyable to sit across from a nice-looking woman instead of Agent Brewster.

Kate wouldn't mind. He didn't think she would. She knew that Tony liked women and she had never made a big fuss when he had looked at women that passed them in the street. Once or twice she had given him a warning look that had said: "You may look, but don't you touch." And Tony wouldn't even dream to do otherwise. He loved Kate far too much to hurt her in such a way. And in addition to that, he happened to be of the opinion that even though there were a lot of hot women out there worth looking at and drooling after, his girlfriend was a lot more beautiful than all of them. And Kate knew that. That's why she accepted that he was a man after all and let him have some of the liberties he needed.

Tony took his cell phone out and dialed Kate's number. He'd just ask her if she'd be home for dinner then he'd know if he should make that pasta sauce or just order himself a pizza. He waited for the connection to build and heard the first ring, but at the same moment he heard a cell phone ring outside in the hall. One second later the front door closed.

Tony jumped off the couch and walked into the hall, where Kate was just about to hang up her coat. She smiled and waved her cell phone at him. "Did you just call me?"

"I wanted to ask when you'd be home."

Kate smiled brightly at him and stepped into his outstretched arms. She smelled of coffee and fresh air, and when he kissed her, he tasted spearmint chewing gum. But underneath those traces of the outside world, he smelled and tasted Kate. He loved the idea that she was his - not in a 'you're my possession'-kind of way, but in a way that made him think of the woman she was at work, carrying a gun and wearing one of those very professional black suits. While each day when she came home, she was still his girlfriend and he was the man she was coming home to.

He stroked her hair behind her ears with both hands and smiled down at her. "Ready for the weekend to start?"

She nodded and Tony broke into a grin. "It's going to be great!" he said, taking her hand and pulling her into the living room. "We're going to go to the beach and I'm going to take you to whatever fancy restaurant you choose. And I think there might be some clubs in Santa Barbara you will like. And you can also do that culture thing of yours, but maybe together with your sister-in-law? You're not going to make me go to the museum, are you? But if…"

Kate silenced him by putting her right index finger across his lips and amusedly shook her head at his enthusiasm. Tony grinned, took her hand and kissed her palm. Then he suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist, whirled her around and lifted her off her feet. One second later, Kate was lying on her back on the couch with Tony on top of her and had no idea how she had gotten there. She giggled and freed her arms from under his body to put them around his neck and pull him to her for a kiss. She had missed him so much last week. They had both been working a lot and had hardly seen each other. She was really, really looking forward to the following weekend.

When the kiss ended, they settled down on the couch more comfortably, with Kate curled up to Tony's side and her head resting on his shoulder.

After some time Kate lifted her head to look at Tony and asked, "Have you finally packed?"

"I was going to do that right before you came in," Tony said quickly.

"Liar!" Kate scoffed, gently punching his chest. "You wanted to do it tomorrow morning, didn't you?" When Tony didn't answer, she sighed. "Tony, we have to leave at 6 a.m. I swear, if you start some last minute packing at five to six, I will leave without you!"

"No, you won't."

"Oh yes, I will!"

"No, you won't. You'd miss me too much!" When Kate didn't reply, Tony grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. Then he got up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Kate wanted to know.

"Into the bedroom to do my packing," he said obediently.

* * *

Getting Tony out of bed before six in the morning was the most difficult thing Kate had ever had to do. At first he wouldn't wake up, then he'd refuse to get up, claiming that they had plenty of time and that he would get up in five minutes. First, Kate tried to coax him out of bed by gently prodding and kissing him, but that didn't work because when Tony started to return her kisses, he almost convinced her to stay in bed with him. Then she tried to reason with him by saying that it would take them ages to get through the security checks at the airport, but he merely grunted and hid under the covers. So Kate got up alone and went into the kitchen to make coffee. While the coffee was brewing she took her shower to save time. By the time Kate came back into the kitchen, Tony was there, sitting at the table with heavy eye lids, a coffee in front of him. Kate smiled; the smell of coffee always did the trick.

They got to the airport in time and boarded the plane that took off without delay. Ten minutes into the flight, Tony fell asleep again. Kate asked the flight attendant for a blanket and spread it over him, kissing his forehead before concentrating on the novel she was reading.

Thanks to their flight that had only made one stop, they arrived in Santa Barbara in the early afternoon. They rented a car at the airport and went to their hotel to leave their luggage before heading to Kate's brother's place. Kate had only been to Santa Barbara once before and had some problems remembering where to go, but they finally found the apartment building. Kate was very excited and was talking during the whole ride. She was telling stories about her niece, Naomi, and nephew, Tommy, and about her brother and his wife. Tony was already quite curious to meet the family, but also a bit nervous, like he had been before meeting Kate's parents for the first time.

But when they arrived at the door and Kate's brother and his wife welcomed them, Tony immediately felt at ease. With a smile on his face he watched how Kate hugged each member of the family. Her niece and nephew, seven and five years old, almost knocked her over when they both jumped into her arms to greet her. She was rescued by her sister-in-law, Sharon, who shooed the children away and led Kate and Tony into the apartment.

The baby was sleeping, and while they were having coffee and eating cake, Tony could sense how impatient Kate was to finally see her niece awake. When they finally heard the baby cry, Sharon and Kate vanished into the bedroom and emerged one minute later with little Ava. Kate was carrying the baby. The way she was holding the baby proved that the situation wasn't new to her. After all, she already had five nieces and nephews. She sat down on the couch and started talking to the baby in that voice that all women got when talking to babies. Tony suppressed a sigh. Kate could be tough as nails, but obviously she wasn't immune to the charms of a baby. What was it with women and their ability to become a completely different person as soon as a baby was in the same room with them?

"Tony, come over here and look at her," Kate said, beaming at him.

Tony suppressed a sigh and walked over to the couch. He wasn't good with babies. They were cute and everything, but he didn't really know what to do with them and he definitely wasn't a fan of dirty diapers or vomit on his sweater.

He sat down next to Kate and looked over her shoulder. Ava's eyes were wide open and she was reaching out her hands to touch Kate's hair, but couldn't reach it. Tony held out his index finger to her and Ava immediately grabbed it and squeezed it tightly. A surprised laugh escaped him.

"Geez, that girl has quite a handshake!"

Kate giggled and leaned into him, never taking her eyes away from the baby girl. "She's beautiful," she sighed. She bent down and kissed the girl's forehead. "And she smells like heaven," she added.

Tony frowned. He hadn't thought that babies smelled good - quite on the contrary. But to please Kate he also leaned down. First thing he noticed was that Ava was not bald, but had very short, feathery blond hair that was almost invisible from a distance. He ran his hand over her head and smiled. It felt like touching a bird's feathers. He bent down a little further and noticed what Kate meant. Ava smelled of warm milk and baby powder and also something else, something sweet that he couldn't really pinpoint. She smelled wonderful.

"Do you want to hold her?" Kate asked, and before he could respond she had already placed the baby in his arms. Ava blinked twice at the sudden change of location then she fixed her gaze on Tony's face and opened her mouth. He was afraid that she was going to cry, but then she made a loud, gurgling sound and started to babble happily. Tony grinned. He definitely liked this baby!

Tony and Kate stayed for dinner, but then left to spend the evening in town. They would return for Sharon's party the next day and also spend Monday and Tuesday with the family. But tonight they went down to the beach. Holding hands, they walked on the sand and watched the lights shine from the piers. They took off their shoes and waded into the water, soon chasing each other through the light waves and splashing each other with water. When Tony caught Kate, he lifted her into his arms and, grinning devilishly, pretended to drop her into the water. Kate squealed and kicked her feet in the air until he let her down again and wrapped his arms around the small of her back. They kissed tenderly. Then Kate leaned her head against Tony's shoulder and looked out over the ocean, enjoying the light evening breeze and the beautiful view.

* * *

The next day after lunch, Kate and Tony picked up Naomi and Tommy to take them to a fair so their parents could finish the last preparations for the party. After an hour, Kate wasn't sure who was having more fun: Naomi and Tommy - or Tony. He had already been on the roller coaster five times. Even the children were feeling sick by now, but Tony didn't want to stop. He only left the roller coaster when Kate promised him ice cream.

The children loved him, and not only because he bought them candy. He was great with them, joking, laughing, and getting great ideas on how to make the day even more fun. Tommy adored him. Smiling inwardly, Kate thought that for a five year-old, Tony must be the dream image of a baby sitter - someone whose ideas were even crazier than the children's. If Kate hadn't been there, she was sure Tony would have bought them a pony, just because they asked politely.

At 6 p.m. they were back at Cam and Sharon's apartment. Sharon had asked them to be back early because she needed to bathe the children and get them dressed up for the evening. The apartment was already decorated. There were additional bar tables in the large living room and a huge table with food that had been set up.

Kate went into the bedroom to check on the sleeping Ava. When she came back into the living room, Tony was seated on the couch that had been pushed up against a wall. She went to him and sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly for a moment.

"You were wonderful today," she said. "The children love you."

"They are great!" Tony said immediately. "Today was so much fun."

Kate smiled at him and kissed his temple. "You'll be a great dad one day," she said, hugging him again.

Tony gently rubbed her back with one hand and tried to hide the fact that his stomach had just done a back flip. It wasn't the first time that Kate had spoken about future children. They had never really had the "you, me and children" conversation, but they had been together for almost a year and it wasn't presumptuous to say that they would have children one day. But today was the first time that Tony could really imagine what it would be like to have a baby that Kate would hold and kiss like she had done with Ava yesterday. A baby that smelled like Ava and smiled at him, like her. And later they would play in the park and go to fairs, eat ice cream together and read bedtime stories. It was strange, but that thought didn't scare him anymore.

"And you'll be a great mom," Tony said, stroking her hair. Had he looked into her face that moment he would have seen the bright smile that had appeared on her face.

* * *

They spent two more great days in Santa Barbara, lying on the beach and having picnics with the whole family, but also spending half a day hiking in the Santa Ynez Mountains. They flew back on Wednesday, but not without inviting Cam and his family to come and visit them in Washington soon.

Wednesday evening Kate called Abby to tell her about their short vacation. Tony convinced Kate to let him talk to Abby for a minute because he was really curious to find out if Gibbs had already found a replacement for Brewster.

"I think he has," Abby told him. "But he wouldn't tell me any details. But whoever it is, is supposed to start tomorrow."

Tony handed the phone back to Kate and went into the bedroom to finish unpacking his clothes. He was definitely curious.

The next day he was early for work - too early. Gibbs wasn't at his desk yet and Agent Brewster's old desk was also empty. So Tony sat down behind his desk and waited.

Five minutes later, Abby came into the office and was also disappointed that the new agent wasn't there yet. She leaned against Tony's desk and started to ask him questions about Santa Barbara - even though there couldn't be a thing she didn't know after the hour and a half she had been on the phone with Kate yesterday.

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat and looked up at the person who was standing between Tony's and Brewster's desk. Tony immediately got to his feet. The person was a woman in her late twenties with curly brown hair that glowed red where the light from the high windows fell on it. Her build was athletic and her posture was self-confident. When her green eyes locked on Tony's blue ones, he immediately started to smile.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" he asked, coming around his desk to stand in front of her.

"I am Agent Vivian Blackadder. Could you tell me where I can find Special Agent Gibbs?"

"He's not here yet. But maybe I can help you. My name is Anthony DiNozzo, I'm on Agent Gibbs' team."

Agent Blackadder started to smile and held out her hand to Tony. "Then I guess we're going to be colleagues," she said. "I'm here to replace Agent Brewster."

Tony took her hand and shook it, and when he turned to look at Abby there was a broad grin on his face. Now this could be interesting!

* * *

_A/N: Now before you kill me, may I say that I didn't invent Agent Blackadder. She's a canon character. I'm only trying to make this as little AU as possible._


	15. The Anniversary Part 1

_A/N: __Again, this is a two part chapter, but I promise that you won't have to wait long for the second part. And I wanted to say thank you to all the people who keep reading and reviewing. I'm enjoying your comments so much!_

_And huge thanks to AliasCSINYFriendsER for betaing this even though she has so much work to do!_

**Chapter 15: The Anniversary, Part I**

Tony was half-heartedly typing away on his computer. It hadn't been a busy day and no new cases, so the team had stayed at the office. It was almost five o'clock and Tony was extremely bored. He hated paperwork. Gibbs had spent almost the whole day at his computer, never leaving for urgent calls at MTAC or meetings with the director, so Tony hadn't been able to play computer games, make phone calls, or read magazines. He hadn't had such a boring day in his entire life!

He looked at the clock on his computer. 4:45 p.m. The day was almost over.

Tony looked up when he heard the new agent, Vivian Blackadder, get up from her chair and watched her as she was looking for something in the file cabinet behind her desk. She was wearing beige dress pants and a matching costume jacket that was neatly hung over her office chair. She was standing there in a nice - meaning tight - black tank top that really suited her well. Not half as well as her pants, though.

Working together with a woman really was a nice change. It was a lot of fun to tease her when the day was getting long and it was enjoyable to watch her when she was standing there, busy with something, not noticing that someone was watching her.

At this very moment, Viv turned around to face Tony and furrowed her brows. "Have you finished staring at my ass, or can I sit down now, DiNozzo?" she asked sharply.

"I wasn't staring. I'm working!" Tony replied, starting to type again.

"Of course you are," she grumbled and sat down again.

Gibbs had watched their little exchange without comment and went back to work. But five minutes later he looked up again and said: "You can go home now."

Tony didn't hesitate to get up from his chair and grab his things. Gibbs' words hadn't been a great gesture because it was already five to five anyway, but he was happy to get out of the office. Together with Viv he waited for the elevator. They didn't talk. They never talked much if it wasn't in direct relation with a case - or didn't have anything to do with Tony's inappropriate behavior. He knew he was getting on her nerves, but he found it quite amusing. She was not a bad person - he actually liked her - but it was just so much more fun to tease her than to have a serious conversation. It would have been even more fun had she been an approbatory agent; then he could have taken the role of the highly experienced senior agent and could have made her life hell. But in reality she had been with NCIS longer than he. And before that she had been with the FBI, that's what Abby had told him. She had also told Kate, who had been very interested in their new colleague.

Kate had asked Tony to invite her to dinner at their place, but he had found a lame excuse and had found another one every time she had asked him during the five weeks in which Viv had been working with them. He didn't want Kate to meet Viv. It wasn't that he thought they wouldn't like each other. No, actually he thought they would like each other a lot. The problem was that he didn't think he could handle being 'office Tony' and 'private Tony' at the same time. He would have to choose one of them, which would have to be 'private Tony' in order not to piss off Kate and then he couldn't go back to being 'office Tony' when working with Viv and then all the fun would be gone. Also, he didn't want Viv to tell Kate about his bad behavior.

"Are you going to Abby's party?" Viv suddenly asked.

"Excuse me?" Tony didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to let them step out into the hall.

"Abby's party on Saturday," Viv explained. "She said she had invited a lot of people from the office. I thought you knew."

"No." Tony shook his head, trying to remember if Abby had mentioned a party to him. He let Viv step out of the elevator first and followed her. Abby definitely hadn't talked to him about a party. Had she invited Kate? Oh yes, he thought he remembered Kate telling him that they were going to Abby's on Saturday.

"Oh yes," he said. "I almost forgot."

"So you're going?"

"Yes." Tony nodded. Then a huge grin appeared on his face. "Are you asking me out?" he teased.

Viv rolled her eyes and pulled a disgusted face. "I was merely making conversation," she said. "Sorry if I destroyed your hopes." Then she turned away from him and walked over to her car.

Tony sighed. Abby was having a party – this meant that Kate would finally meet Viv.

* * *

Kate was really looking forward to meeting Tony's new colleague. She was constantly asking Tony questions about her and he tried to come across as disinterested as possible. There were a lot of things he could tell her. That Viv was a good agent, for example. That Gibbs seemed to like her. That she was really good-looking. That she didn't accept stupid comments from Tony. But every time he thought of something to tell Kate he had the feeling it would sound too positive. He didn't want Kate to be jealous.

Before Viv had started at NCIS, Tony had been convinced that Kate wouldn't be jealous if he was working together with a woman. And he still thought she wasn't the jealous type. But since Viv was really working with him, what he knew and what he was afraid of had constantly been colliding in his head. He knew that Kate trusted him and he knew that he wasn't interested in Viv. But he was afraid that Kate didn't trust him enough and that as soon as she got to know Viv and found out that she was an interesting woman, she would get jealous and he would get a lot of problems.

So almost everything Kate knew about Viv was information Abby had given her and Tony wasn't sure what opinion Kate had on the new agent.

On Saturday Kate left early to go to Abby's and help her with the preparations. Tony said he would follow her later, but he was seriously considering faking a headache so he didn't have to go.

* * *

Viv arrived at Abby's apartment at 7 p.m. with a bottle of wine and a nervous feeling in her stomach. She didn't like this kind of thing. Okay, it was only a party, but she had the feeling that Abby had only organized it so that everyone could get a closer look at her, Viv, the newbie. And even though she liked most of the people she was working with, it made her feel uncomfortable.

Ten seconds after she had knocked, Abby opened the door and pulled her inside.

"Here, I brought some wine," Viv said, offering the bottle to Abby. "Thanks for the invitation."

"I'm glad you could come," Abby replied. "I guess you know most of the people here so I don't have to make introductions. Just make yourself at home."

When Abby had left in the direction of a door behind which Viv could see part of the kitchen, Viv looked around the room. There were already a dozen of people there, standing in small groups with drinks in their hands, some moving hesitantly to the loud music that was banging through the room. She recognized the ME Doctor Mallard and his assistant Gerald talking with someone she remembered having seen in the office. There were people from other teams she didn't know by name and some people she hadn't seen before. She remembered that Abby had said she could bring a guest if she liked. She was single, so she hadn't brought anyone, but she guessed others had.

Slowly Viv wandered through the room, greeting the people she knew, heading for the small table that held the bottles with alcoholic drinks. She poured herself a glass of wine and started to wonder how long she could be exposed to this kind of music at this volume before her ears would start to bleed when suddenly the volume of the music was reduced.

Viv looked around and saw a brunette woman standing next to the stereo and pressing some buttons. A new song started to play, a bit less…"Abby" than the last, and definitely not as loud. The other woman caught her gaze and they smiled at each other.

Glad to have found someone she could probably talk to, Viv went over to the brunette.

"Thank you," Viv said. "The music was definitely a bit loud."

"Abby's sympathy for other people's taste in music is limited," the other woman replied before reaching out her hand. "Hello, I'm Kate."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Viv," she replied, shaking her hand. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know you from the office, do I?"

"Oh no, I don't work for NCIS," Kate replied. "I'm a friend of Abby's and…" She fell silent when something behind Viv caught her attention. Viv turned and saw Abby standing in the doorway to the kitchen, staring at Kate and pointing at the stereo. Kate smiled at her and made an apologetic gesture, which caused Abby to shrug and disappear again.

"So what do you do if you're not working for NCIS?" Viv asked.

"I'm with the Secret Service, protection detail."

"Oh my god, I think I know who you are!" Viv exclaimed. "You were on the news some months ago. You are the agent who protected the vice-president while he was in Spain, aren't you? The one who saved his life in that shooting?"

Kate blushed slightly and dropped her gaze to her hands. "Well, yes," she said hesitantly. "But it's not my favorite subject to talk about."

"Oh, I see, I'm sorry."

Kate smiled at her. "You are new at the office, right?" she asked. "Abby told me about you."

"Yes, that's right. I had been working down in Florida before, but I had enough of the heat."

"Enough of the heat?" Kate asked incredulously. "You won't say that anymore when you've spent your first winter here."

Viv grinned. Then she heard a faint knock on the front door and watched Abby run from the kitchen to open. In came Tony DiNozzo and Viv sighed. "Oh no…"

"What?" Kate asked amusedly. She had followed Viv's gaze to the door. Tony was talking to Abby now and Ducky was already approaching them too.

"The man who just came in is on my team," Viv told her. "He's…he's okay, but he can be such a pest. And he's definitely not the kind of man I'd want to meet at a party."

"Why's that?" Kate asked, furrowing her brows.

Viv shrugged. "He makes stupid comments all the time. Whenever I'm wearing a skirt, or a shirt that shows some cleavage. You know what I mean?"

"I see," Kate said.

"You know, I don't really think he's serious," Viv went on. "I think he's joking, I mean, nobody can be that much of a skirt chaser - but I'm not entirely sure. Abby says he has a girlfriend, but he's not really the type I can see in a dedicated relationship. I don't know his girlfriend, but she must be either really tolerant - or really dumb."

Kate raised one eyebrow, still looking over at Tony. When he looked over at them, Viv saw him make eye contact with Kate and he smiled. It was a soft, sincere smile, one she had never seen on his face before. Oh my god, they knew each other!

When Tony peeled his gaze away from Kate and looked at the person she was talking to, his smile faded. He said something to Abby and Ducky before coming over to Kate and Viv.

"He-hey!" he said, his smile wavering slightly. "You already met."

Viv watched in horror as Tony stepped next to Kate, slipped an arm around the small of her back and kissed her on the cheek. When Viv looked at Kate, the other woman smiled faintly at her.

"This is the other reason why I'm here," Kate explained. "Tony is my boyfriend."

Viv was sure that she was blushing from head-to-toe by now. It was terrible! But it was her own fault. Why did she have to say bad things about Tony to a complete stranger? She should have expected that they knew each other. And…oh no! What had she said about the kind of person she expected Tony's girlfriend to be? She wanted to die on the spot!

But seriously, Kate was the last person on the planet she would have expected to go out with Tony. How could a man like him, who drooled after every female creature in a skirt, convince a woman like Kate that he was worth the effort of getting to know him? Perhaps they hadn't been going out for a long time. Maybe she didn't know this side of him yet. But then what Viv had just said to her would be even worse. She didn't want to be the reason why Tony's girlfriend got a bad opinion of him, no matter how unbearable he could be sometimes.

Now Abby joined them and grinned widely at Viv before addressing Kate: "You already met Viv," she stated. "Viv, Kate was really curious to meet you. And you have a lot in common."

"Having to cope with me every day, for example," Tony joked and Viv almost choked on her wine. Tony smiled at her. "At least Kate can work extra hours when she's pissed off at me. That certainly wouldn't work for you."

"No it wouldn't," Viv said with a smile, trying to sound as polite as possible. The situation was as awkward as it could be and there couldn't possibly be anything she could do to make it any worse, so she decided to at least try to act normal.

"How long have the two of you been together?" she asked.

"For almost a year," Tony replied. "We met on June 13 last year." When Kate stared at him, he laughed. "Don't you look at me like that!" With an arm around her shoulders he pulled her to him and kissed her temple. "You thought I didn't remember, didn't you?"

Kate smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Viv watched them, feeling even more embarrassed than before. They were in a long term relationship. She had really just told Tony's girlfriend of almost a year that she thought he was an unbearable skirt chaser and that every woman who went out with him had to be dumb. Perfect.

But she was also really surprised about what she'd learned about Tony. He was in a dedicated relationship with a grown-up, seemingly emancipated woman and the way he looked at her spoke volumes. He loved her. Was this really the same person who had annoyed her to no end just yesterday with stupid questions about the kind of underwear she preferred? How was that possible?

Since Kate and Tony were still really busy with each other, Viv turned to Abby. "Is Gibbs also coming?"

"I don't think so," Abby replied. "I invited him, but he usually prefers to spend his Saturday nights at home with his boat."

"Why has he a boat at home?"

"Don't ask," Abby said, shaking her head.

Viv smiled and took her chance to escape. "I think I'll go over to Ducky and say hello to him." Then she left as fast as she could. But she hoped she would get a chance to apologize to Kate later.

* * *

Tony thought Kate was acting strangely tonight. She had been normal at the beginning, but now it was approaching midnight and there was definitely something wrong with her. She was drinking more than was normal for her and she was unusually quiet as if she was thinking about something.

In a quiet moment Tony pulled Kate aside. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Of course. Why are you asking?"

"You look a bit upset."

Kate shook her head. "I'm not."

"Okay," Tony said. He leaned against the wall with his back and pulled Kate closer to him, slipping his arms around her waist. "So, what do you think of Viv?" he asked.

"She's nice," Kate replied. "And pretty. You didn't mention she was that pretty."

"She's attractive," Tony said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I didn't think it was very important."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Did you mention it to her?"

"What?"

"That you think she's pretty."

An alarm bell started to ring inside Tony's head. That was a strange kind of question. "Why would I tell my partner that I think she's good-looking? That would be inappropriate and she might get me wrong."

"So you prefer harassing her?"

"What?" Tony exclaimed. One or two people standing close to them turned their heads and looked at them. "What?" Tony asked again, more quietly. "Why are you saying this?"

"She complained about you," Kate said, stepping out of his arms and leaning against the wall next to him.

"She did what?" Some more heads turned in their direction.

"I don't want you to act so immaturely around her," Kate said. "What would you say if one of my colleagues made comments about my legs when I'm wearing a skirt?"

"I wouldn't say anything - I'd kill him right away."

"You see?"

"Yes," Tony sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me." Kate nodded her head in the direction of Viv, who was standing on the other side of the room.

Tony nodded faintly. "I will apologize to her for behaving stupidly. But not tonight, okay?"

Kate merely shrugged. "Actually I'd like to go home anyway," she said. "I have a headache."

"So there is something wrong with you! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It's not that bad," Kate replied, taking his hand. "But I'd really like to go now."

"Okay, let's say goodbye to everybody then."

When they were lying in bed, Tony noticed that Kate was staring up at the ceiling, lying flat on her back instead of curling up to his side. He turned to face her and ran a hand over her hair.

"Is your headache getting worse?" he asked.

"No, it's almost gone," she replied quietly.

"Is something else wrong?"

Kate was quiet for a moment then he felt her shake her head. "I'm okay."

Tony had the feeling that she wasn't telling the truth, but he let it rest for the moment. There was something else he wanted to ask her: "Do you think you'll have to work overtime next Thursday?"

"I don't know," Kate replied, sounding surprised. "Why?"

"Because next Thursday is the 13th of June. I'd like to take you out on a date."

Kate shifted closer to him and buried her face in his chest. "That's so sweet," she whispered. "I'll make sure I have the evening off."

"Okay." Tony kissed the top of her head and pulled her more tightly to him. "I love you."

Kate wrapped an arm around his back and sighed. "I love you too."

* * *

On Monday morning Viv felt extremely uncomfortable in Tony's presence. From time to time she caught him staring at her from behind his desk and each time she immediately looked away again. She had no idea if Kate had told him what she had said to her on Saturday. All she knew was that around midnight Kate and Tony had had a conversation that had gotten quite loud and after that they had left. And now Tony was staring at her.

When Gibbs walked in and announced that they had a case, she was relieved to get out of the office. They had to go to Quantico in the truck, but she knew that Tony wouldn't say anything as long as Gibbs was in the car with them.

The whole day passed without Tony making any comment that wasn't work related. Actually he was acting more professionally than ever before.

It was 7 p.m. when Gibbs let them go and Viv almost managed to get inside the elevator alone, but then Tony caught up with her in the last moment and they rode down together.

"Listen," he said, as soon as the doors of the elevator had closed. "I'm sorry if I gave you a hard time. But I was just having fun - I didn't think you'd take it seriously."

"Okay," Viv said, accepting his apology faster than she normally would because she still was so embarrassed. She was glad when they reached the ground floor and left the elevator as quickly as possible.

But Tony caught up with her and stopped her. "Wait a second," he said. "There's something else."

Slowly they walked out to the parking lot together.

"When you were talking to Kate on Saturday, what exactly did you say to her?"

Viv sighed. "This is really embarrassing enough without you wanting all the details," she said sharply. "I'm sorry for what I said, okay, but I had no idea Kate even knew you."

"That's not why I'm asking," Tony said. "I wanted…I'm not angry or anything, but I really need to know what happened."

"Why?"

"Can't you just tell me?"

"No," she replied stubbornly.

Tony sighed. "Okay. Kate has been acting strangely since that night and I don't know what's wrong with her. I thought maybe she's angry because of something you said."

"Oh," Viv said, immediately feeling worse. She tried to recall her conversation with Kate. She'd said a lot of things that could make someone's girlfriend angry.

"Well, I said that you make sexual comments whenever I wear something tight fitting. And I called you a skirt chaser, but I also said that I think you're not completely serious when you're acting like that. Oh and…"

"What?" Tony asked when she didn't continue.

Viv dropped her gaze to her shoes, but she replied just the same: "I said I couldn't imagine you in a relationship. And that…that I imagined you together with a dumb blonde."

"Oh," Tony said. "Do you really think that?"

"No, not anymore." Viv looked at him. "Do you think Kate's really angry because of it?"

"She definitely isn't angry with you," Tony said. "She told me to apologize."

Tony seemed to be thinking hard about something and Viv didn't want to interrupt him, but she was feeling guilty again. "Do you think that what I said is the reason why she's acting so strangely?"

Tony finally looked at her again, but he merely shrugged. "I'm not sure. Normally I'd say no. Kate knows that I'm immature." He smirked. "She knows that and she still loves me."

Viv smiled.

Tony returned the gesture. "You know, the strange thing is that normally, whenever Kate is upset, Abby comes and hits me over the head because it's usually my fault. But I talked to Abby and she doesn't know about anything."

"Isn't it possible that you're imagining things?"

"Yeah," Tony said, nodding half-heartedly. Viv was right. Kate hadn't really done anything to cause his worry. They had spent the whole Sunday together and it had been great. But he knew her so well by now and he had the feeling that something was wrong.

"Okay," Tony finally said. "Thanks, anyway. Have a nice evening."

"Yeah, you too. Oh and…do you think you could tell Kate that I'm sorry? I feel really bad for what I said."

Tony smiled at her. "I'll tell her. And don't worry. Kate's not easily offended."

Kate came home very late that evening. Tony had wanted to wait up for her, but at half past eleven he went to bed. He woke up an hour later when Kate crawled under the covers next to him.

"Hey," he said sleepily. "You're late."

"I know," she replied. "Sorry."

But Tony was already halfway back to sleep.

* * *

During his lunch break on Tuesday Tony went down to the lab to talk to Abby. They had agreed that morning to order pizza and eat it in the lab. The food was already there when Tony arrived and they sat down around one of the lab tables.

"Did you talk to Kate yesterday?" Abby wanted to know.

"I had already gone to bed when she came home. I hardly noticed when she came to bed."

"And this morning?"

Tony shrugged. "I didn't raise the subject."

"But you still think there's something wrong?"

Tony shrugged again. "She seems so lost in thought all the time. And I don't think she's thinking about something positive. She seems worried to me. And I'm still not sure if I've done something wrong. Didn't she mention anything to you?"

"I haven't talked to her since yesterday either."

Tony sighed and Abby decided to change the subject: "So, what are your plans for Thursday?"

Tony smiled. "That's a secret."

"Oh come on! You only have to keep it secret from Kate, not from me - I'm not coming with you!"

"Yeah, but you might tell her."

"I'd never spoil the surprise for her!" Abby exclaimed. "I'm insulted that you even think such a thing!" She leaned over the table and looked into Tony's eyes for a long moment. "Tony…" she said slowly. "You are not going to…are you?"

"Going to what?"

"Propose!" Abby burst out.

Tony smiled, but shook his head. "On our one year anniversary? That would be too much of a cliché. That's not like us."

But Abby didn't let it go yet. "You would tell me if you were planning on proposing to her, wouldn't you?"

"Probably not," Tony replied secretively.

"So you are planning on doing it!"

"No, I'm not."

"Tony!"

"I'm not."

"Tony!"

"Eat your pizza, Abby!"

Abby was quiet then, grinning while chewing her pizza. Some time later, Tony spoke again: "Abby, do you think you could try to talk to Kate? I want to know if everything's okay with her."

"Sure, no problem. I'll call her later."

* * *

Kate came home at 6 o'clock that evening. Tony had cooked for them and had opened a bottle of wine because Kate preferred wine to beer. He made her sit down on the couch with a glass of wine and told her to relax until dinner was ready. Kate smiled at him and did as she was told.

Over dinner they talked about this and that. Tony told her about an interesting case and was glad that she seemed to be interested in the subject and didn't shut down like she had done several times in the past days. By now he had started to believe that she might be suffering from burn-out because of too much work.

"Do you think you could get another long weekend soon?" he asked her. "It's summer, we could spend some time on the beach."

"I'm not sure," she said quietly.

"You must have a lot of vacation time left. They have to give you at least one day. Or they could stop making you work so much overtime. Don't you need a rest?" He wanted to reach for her hand over the table, but Kate pulled back her hand and stared at him.

"It's my job, Tony," she said pointedly. "They're paying me to be there whenever I'm needed. I can't neglect my work because you want to go on vacation."

Tony stared at her open-mouthed. What the hell had he done to make her snap at him like that? But Kate was merely chewing on her bottom lip and evading his gaze.

"Kate?" he said carefully. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know," she said silently. Sighing she took her plate and carried it into the kitchen. When she came back into the living room she muttered that she was going to take a shower and disappeared again.

Half an hour later - Tony was watching the news - she came out of the bedroom in her pajamas and walked over to the couch. She sat down on Tony's lap, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay," Tony said, hugging her tightly to him.

They started to watch a movie. Kate lay down on the couch with her head resting in Tony's lap. Half an hour later she was fast asleep.

tbc …


	16. The Anniversary Part 2

_A/N: Part 2! Didn't have to wait long, did you? _

_Beta: AliasCSINYFriendsER. Thank you!_

**Chapter 16: The Anniversary, Part 2**

Tony went to work early on Wednesday because he wanted to know if Abby had talked to Kate and if she had found something out. After what had happened yesterday evening he was even more worried about Kate. It wasn't at all like her to snap at him for no reason at all. He wondered if she wasn't even a tiny bit excited about their date on Thursday. Women liked this kind of anniversary thing, didn't they? Shouldn't she be happy that they were going out and ask him a lot of questions? Tony had actually wondered if Kate's mood had something to do with the anniversary, but he couldn't think of a single reason why Kate would be upset because of it. He had also considered the possibility that Kate was indeed angry because of what Viv had said to her. But that was unlikely because when he had told her that he had apologized to Viv, Kate had again suggested inviting Viv to dinner some day. She wouldn't do that if she hated Viv.

"I thought you'd come," Abby said when he entered the lab. "But I don't have any news for you."

Tony's heart sank. "You didn't talk to her?"

"I called her yesterday afternoon, but I didn't find out anything. But I agree with you that there's something wrong."

"You do?" Tony wasn't sure if he should be happy or worried about this.

"Yes. She sounded…she…" Abby pursed her lips. "She somehow didn't sound like Kate. Like she wasn't at all into the conversation and she didn't have much time. We only talked for five minutes."

"Should I be worried?" Tony asked, even though he already was.

"I don't think you should be," Abby said, patting his arm. "I'm sure that Kate will talk to you about it in the end. Whatever it is she's thinking about, I guess she needs some time before she can talk about it. But if it really was a severe problem she wouldn't leave you in the dark about it."

Even though that wasn't exactly what he had wanted to hear, Abby's words made Tony feel better. She was right. He had to wait until Kate came to him with her problem - if she had one. All he could do right now was concentrate on their date tomorrow. Maybe he would be able to cheer her up enough to make her forget about her worries.

* * *

When Kate came home at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, the day of their anniversary, the apartment was empty. She called for Tony, but didn't get a response. Then she saw the note on the coffee table, telling her that he was going to pick her up at 7, and she smiled.

Kate already knew what she wanted to wear so she had enough time to shower, do her hair, and her make-up. She wanted to look amazing for him. She put on the new dress that Tony hadn't seen on her yet. It was dark red and sleeveless, showing as much cleavage as she dared showing without feeling uncomfortable. The skirt was asymmetric and ended four inches above the knee on the left side and four inches beneath the knee on the right, with a slash on that side. She knew Tony would love the dress - not only because he loved the color red.

She was also wearing her grandmothers ruby earrings, which she hardly ever took out of their box because she valued them too much, but their color matched that of the dress perfectly and tonight was a very special event. The only other piece of jewelry she was wearing was the bracelet Tony had given her - she never took it off.

At 7 o'clock there was a knock on the front door. Kate smiled about the fact that Tony didn't even use his key in order to give her the feeling that this really was a date. When she opened the door, a huge bouquet of red roses greeted her. Tony sometimes brought her flowers, but hardly ever roses. He said they were too corny.

Kate took the roses from him with a huge smile on her face and kissed him on the lips. "I thought roses were too corny?" she whispered.

Tony grinned. "Today you're getting all the fluff you could ever wish for," he said and Kate laughed.

"Let me put these into a vase, then I'm ready to go," she said.

When she came back from the kitchen Tony watched her intently as she walked towards him through the room. When she'd reached him he slowly ran his hands down the sides of her body and kissed her tenderly. "You're making it hard for me to want to leave the apartment now," he said.

Kate placed her hands on his shoulders and played with the lapels of his suit jacket, stepping closer to him so she could feel his body against hers. "I guess this is the great advantage of living together," she whispered. "I'm definitely coming home with you later."

Tony slipped an arm around the small of her back and held her close to him, catching her lips in an intense kiss. With Kate's strange behavior of the last days and her working long hours, there hadn't been a lot of intimate moments for them. But Kate's old self was apparently back, at least for the moment, and they both enjoyed being close to each other again.

When they finally left the building, a taxi was waiting for them. But the car didn't take them to a restaurant, but to the park where they had had their picnic last summer. Tony helped Kate out of the car and offered her his arm to lead her through the gates of the park. Intrigued, but not asking any questions, Kate followed his lead.

The sun was setting, but it was still warm and birds were singing. Kate enjoyed the light breeze and the rustling of the leaves. She really had worked a lot recently and had had no time to go for walks or watch the sunset. But what was Tony planning? Another picnic? She was definitely wearing the wrong clothes for that.

But when Tony finally stopped and grinned at her, his surprise was not a picnic.

For some seconds Kate merely stared. Then she laughed. "You can't be serious!" she said, not believing her eyes. There was a carriage with two horses standing in front of her, as if taken right out of a fairy tale. The coachman greeted them by lifting his hat and Tony offered Kate his hand to help her into the open carriage.

When she continued to stare at him he winked and took her hand. "I told you you're getting all the fluff today," he said.

Kate smiled and rose on her toes to kiss him before accepting his help to climb into the vehicle.

"I haven't ridden in a carriage in my entire life," she admitted.

"Seriously?" Tony grinned. "I had no idea." He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her close to him to kiss her.

The horses walked at a slow pace. After some minutes Tony pointed to the right and Kate recognized the trees where they'd had their picnic. They also went around the small lake and watched the swans. Kate was enchanted.

The carriage drove to the other end of the park. There they climbed out and thanked the coachman, who lifted his head again and clicked his tongue to get the horses' attention. Kate leaned against Tony's side while they watched the carriage drive away.

"So, where are we going?" Kate wanted to know.

"It's not far away. Come on!" He took Kate's hand and they left the park, crossed the street and were suddenly standing in front of a small Italian restaurant that was obviously the place where Tony wanted to go.

"I found this place some weeks ago," he told her. "You're going to love it."

When they entered, Kate started to smile. She already loved the place. It was small, but elegant, not crowded, but filled with soft music and delicious smells. A young man greeted them at the entry and led them to their table without asking for a name first. A bottle of champagne was already waiting for them.

Tony had prepared everything; he had even chosen the dishes "with personal recommendation of the chef." When they had clinked glasses, a waitress brought the antipasti.

"Tell me about your week," Tony asked Kate. "We've hardly had a chance to talk since the weekend."

"I know," Kate said, dropping her gaze to her plate.

Tony immediately sensed her upset mood coming back and tried to intervene: "But we have all the time in the world now. Please, tell me about your week - or about anything you like."

They were soon talking about Abby's party on Saturday and Kate now even laughed about the faux pas Viv had committed.

"I'm glad you're not angry because of it," Tony admitted. "Or jealous. I was worried that you might be jealous because I'm working so close together with a woman now."

Kate smiled at him. "You never gave me reason to believe that I need to worry about it. I know that you wouldn't cheat on me - I couldn't give you a reason why, I just know." She looked into his eyes and Tony reached over the table to take her hand in his.

"I'm really glad that you're saying this, Kate. I was worried you might be having doubts."

"Not at all," she whispered.

The main course was served and while they were eating, Tony was watching Kate intently. She looked really happy tonight. Not a trace left of her dark mood. He was glad about it, but he still felt he needed to know what it was. So he reached for her hand across the table and made her look at him.

"Kate, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Those past few days you didn't quite seem yourself anymore and I was wondering if you'd like to tell me what's wrong."

Kate started to say something, assure him that she was fine, but Tony interrupted her: "Don't say that there's nothing wrong, Kate. I know that's not true. There is something on your mind that bothers you and I really need to know what it is because it's driving me crazy. Does it have something to do with me?"

Kate smiled reassuringly at him and shook her head. "No, Tony. It's…yeah, there's something on my mind, but you've done nothing wrong. It's just that I really don't want to talk about it, not tonight, okay?"

"I'd rather hear it now than later," he said. "I've been worried about you for days."

"That's sweet, Tony, but please, not tonight, okay? This is such a perfect date. I don't want to spoil it."

"Is it that bad?"

"No, it's…It's just nothing I want to talk about on a date."

Tony smiled sadly. "The way you've been acting, it makes me worry that … I thought that it might be because of something I did. That I somehow managed to really piss you off."

"Of course not," Kate whispered. "And I definitely would have told you if it was because of you."

"I know you would," Tony said with a half smile before turning serious again. "The other thing that has come to my mind is that sometimes you've been acting like you feel guilty about something."

Kate didn't say anything to that, she merely sighed.

"So you do feel guilty about something," Tony concluded. "What is it, Kate? You don't want to break up with me, do you?"

"No!" she said, sounding shocked. "How can you even think that?

"I'm worried, Kate, that's all. And I don't like the idea that there's something you can't talk to me about."

"I'm going to talk to you about it. But I wanted to think it through properly first."

"But you have been thinking it through for days! Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help you with it."

"Okay," Kate finally sighed. "I'm giving up." She put the fork down and folded her hands in her lap. "I was offered another promotion. They want to put me on protection duty for the president."

"Oh, Kate, that's great! That's a huge honor!" Tony smiled widely at her; then he frowned. "But what's the problem you wanted to tell me about?"

Kate sighed. "This job is what I've been working for ever since I joined the Secret Service. I dreamed about it for years. But now that it is offered to me I'm not sure if I still want it."

"Why wouldn't you?"

Kate gave him a look that signified "Think about it!" but then she gave the explanation anyway: "If I protect the president I would accompany him on all his trips. And when he's in Washington I would practically be living at the White House. You and I have been seeing each other so rarely since I got the last promotion, but that's nothing compared to how it would be if I was working for the president."

"Wait, wait a second," Tony interrupted her. "You've been offered that job - which you've been talking about ever since we met - and now you're thinking about not accepting it…because of me?"

"I love you," Kate said quietly. "And I know that you love me, but I'm afraid that our relationship couldn't take that strain. We might break up in the end - or if we don't, we might live in a relationship that's not a real relationship anymore. I don't want to lose you, Tony. Not because of my work. And sometimes, that makes me angry. Because I never wanted to be one of the women who give up their career to be with a man."

"But you know that I don't want you to do that either, right?"

"Yes, I know. But fact is that you are more important to me than my job."

"But, Kate, listen. What makes you think that our relationship couldn't cope with it? Okay, perhaps we'd have less time together, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't see each other at all. We'd still be together."

"That's what you're thinking now. But after some time you might be sick of leading that kind of relationship. And what if you meet someone else, a woman who could be there for you, who wouldn't be gone for the most of the week?"

"Kate, that's ridiculous!"

"No, it's not!"

"It is, because what you just told me is exactly what your mother said to you on Thanksgiving. Don't tell me that you agree with her now!"

"I don't know," Kate whispered. "But I can see her point now."

"Oh my god, Kate." Tony shook his head, unable to accept what she was saying. "Do you really think that I'd leave you? That I'd just fall out of love with you?"

"Those things happen, Tony."

Tony closed his eyes. She couldn't be serious! Where did those doubts come from?

"Is it because we aren't married?" he suddenly asked.

"What?"

"What if we were married? Would you still be worried that our relationship isn't strong enough if we were married?"

Kate stared at him. Her mouth opened as if she was about to say something, but no words came out. Tony was watching her anxiously, waiting for a reaction.

* * *

Tony opened the door to their apartment and stepped in behind Kate. She slipped out of her high-heels and left her shawl in the hall closet before walking into the living room. Tony followed her, watching her closely, praying that she'd finally say something. She'd hardly said a word since he'd asked her if she wanted to marry him. Well, frankly speaking, he hadn't really asked her to marry him; he had merely asked if being married to him would make her feel better. Maybe that had been a mistake. Maybe she hadn't realized what he had really tried to ask her.

They had left the restaurant shortly after their discussion and had taken a taxi back to the apartment. Now Kate was sitting on the couch, her bare feet tucked under her body, looking so sad, yet so beautiful. Tony's heart was bleeding because of the way she evaded his gaze. Didn't she want to marry him? Had she understood his question and was now trying to find a way to turn his proposal down without breaking his heart?

When Tony couldn't take it anymore, he sat down next to her and took her hands in his. "Please, say something, Kate. You're killing me."

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I don't know what to say. I tried to discuss this problem with you, but all you were saying is that there isn't a problem. How can you say it wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have time for each other anymore?"

"Okay…" Tony said slowly. "Listen. I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard. I hate not being able to see you every day, you know that. But I want you to be happy. And I know that you wouldn't be happy if you turned down that promotion, no matter what you may be thinking now. In some years you might hate me for it." He searched for her gaze, but Kate looked away.

"You know that I'm right, don't you?" he asked gently.

She nodded. "I want that job," she whispered.

"Then take it."

She smiled faintly at him, but there were tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. When Tony saw it, he pulled her into his arms and swayed her gently. "I'm so proud of you," he said. "You're going to protect the President of the United States."

Kate's arms went around his back, hesitantly at first, but then she held on to him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I'm really glad," Tony said. He drew back slightly to look at her face. "I would have felt terrible if you had turned down that promotion because of me." He brushed his fingertips over her cheek and Kate smiled at him.

"Thanks for supporting me," she said. "And for believing in me," she added. She shifted slightly closer to him, slowly slipping her arm around his neck and pulling him to her for a kiss. As their kiss grew deeper, Tony's hands started to roam over her back, his fingers playing with the zipper of her dress. Kate knew he had been dying to get her out of that dress since the moment he had seen her in it.

But tonight it was Tony who had something on his mind for a change and it wouldn't go away. So he finally broke out of the kiss and looked into Kate's eyes.

"There's something else I need to say."

"What?" she asked softly, running her fingers through his hair and smiling.

Tony took a deep breath. "I don't know if you realized, but back in the restaurant I was trying to ask you something."

When Kate drew her gaze away from his and looked down at her hands, chewing her bottom lip, which she only did when she was feeling uncomfortable. Tony got even more nervous than he already was. But he went through with it just the same.

"Wha…What I tried to ask you was…" he stuttered. "I was wondering if…I wanted to ask you if you want to marry me."

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he had expected to his second try at proposing to her, but it certainly wasn't the reaction he got. Kate hesitantly looked back up into his eyes and smiled uneasily at him. Then she slowly shook her head.

"I'm not sure if this is the right time to get married, Tony," she said in a very reasonable tone. "There's going to be enough changes as it is, and maybe…maybe it wouldn't be good to add another one. Maybe we should leave it as it is - for the moment. Only if you are okay with that, of course."

"Oh…uh…yeah…I'm…yeah, okay," he stuttered, completely taken aback. "Maybe you're right."

"Really? Are you okay with it? I mean, it's so sweet that you asked, but I really think it's best if…"

"No, that's okay, I understand." Tony smiled at her. "We don't have to…I mean, I'm glad we're okay. We are okay, aren't we?"

"Yes!" Kate said hurriedly.

Their awkward conversation was followed by an even more awkward pause. They sat on the couch in silence, both looking at nothing in particular, neither of them having the slightest idea what to do or say next.

"You know, maybe we should go to bed," Tony finally suggested.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Kate said immediately.

* * *

Two hours later Tony was still lying awake in bed, wondering how life could change so drastically. Little over a year ago, the thought that he might get married some day hadn't seemed very realistic and not very pleasant to him. And tonight he found himself deeply hurt because of Kate's refusal. She'd really said no. But why? Was it really because of what she'd said? Because she didn't want any more changes? In his opinion that was complete nonsense. What would be the great change? They were already living together. Or had she been talking about children? He could understand that she didn't want children now. But getting married didn't mean you had to have children within a year.

Tony sighed and sat up in bed. He would drink a glass of water; maybe he would feel better then. But when he climbed out of the bed, he heard Kate ask softly: "Tony, where are you going?"

"Into the kitchen, sweetie. I'm thirsty."

"You can't sleep?"

"No. Did I wake you up?"

"No. I couldn't sleep either."

Tony switched on the light and lied back down next to Kate. She was wearing the champagne-colored negligee he liked so much, but tonight he hadn't even tried to get her out of it. He hadn't been in the mood.

"Kate?" he asked gently, running his hand down her arm. "Why don't you want to marry me?"

Kate's eyes were dark as coals in the dim light. She looked breathtakingly beautiful in that moment, while she was looking openly at him, no longer trying to evade his gaze like she'd done the evening before.

"I do," she finally whispered. "I do want to marry you. But not like this. You felt obligated to ask me tonight because you wanted to show me that everything would work out well. But I don't need a ring as a reassurance. I don't need it and I don't want it. I want you to ask me - some day - because you want to, not because you're afraid to lose me."

Tony stared at her for some seconds - unable to say anything then suddenly jumped out of the bed and stormed out of the bedroom. Kate was about to follow him, worried that she had hurt him with what she'd said, but before her feet touched the ground, Tony was already back, holding the suit jacket he had been wearing yesterday in one hand.

"Tony, what…?" Kate tried to ask, but he didn't let her finish.

"You interfered with my plans tonight," he said, sitting down next to her on the bed, smiling at her and lifting a hand to run it over her cheek.

"I did?"

"Yes. The carriage was supposed to pick us up again after dinner to take us back through the park. I thought the park was a good place. It's one of the places where everything started."

Kate nodded and started to smile.

"I had a little speech prepared. About how I had thought everything through and how I had figured out that I really want to marry you. Then I would have kneeled down in front of you and shown you this."

Tony searched for Kate's gaze before pulling a small box out of the pocket of his suit jacket and showing it to her. He opened it and Kate bit her bottom lip. "Tony…" she whispered.

"I didn't ask you because I felt obligated or because I was afraid to lose you. I asked you because I love you and because I want you to be my wife." He smiled at her and saw that she had tears in her eyes, so he gathered all his courage and asked her again: "Kate, will you marry me?"

The first tears fell, but Tony could see that she was smiling. And she nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will." She had to use both hands to wipe the tears away from her cheeks, but Tony took her hands in his, kissed one cheek first then the other and finally put the ring on her finger.

Kate looked at her hand with the diamond for a second before her arms went around Tony's neck and she kissed him.

"I can't believe you bought a ring," she whispered against his lips.

"I wanted to do it right," he said. "Okay, I guess I messed it up, but my intentions were good."

Kate laughed. "Don't worry. It seems like we never get things right the first time we try them."

"Yeah, but that's because we don't want to be predictable." They looked at each other and both burst out laughing.

"Now, come here," Tony said, pulled her into his arms and held her tight, stroking her hair.

So this was it. He had proposed to her in their bed in the middle of the night. Sure, the carriage in the park would have been a better story to tell their friends and parents, but he didn't care. The important thing was that she'd said yes.

* * *

When Abby stormed into the bullpen the next morning, Tony smiled. The first thing Kate had done today, even before taking her shower, was to call Abby to tell her the news.

"Tonyyy!" Abby squealed.

He got up from his chair and prepared for the impact, one second before Abby threw herself into his arms, almost knocking him over.

"What the hell is this about?" Gibbs asked, walking past them.

Viv, who was already sitting at her table, was eyeing them curiously.

Tony freed himself from Abby's arms and smiled at the rest of the team. "I'm getting married," he said.

* * *

_A/N: __Do you love me now? Hehe! Then it's time for a review!_


	17. Family

A/N: Sorry, this is not the wedding yet. I needed to fit this chapter in before they get married. Hope you like!

Beta: AliasCSINYFriendsEr

**Chapter 17: Family**

The coffee table in front of the couch in Tony and Kate's living room was scattered with paper. There were lists with names and addresses, e-mails from different florists and caterers making offers, halls to choose, photographers, bands. Kate was sitting on the couch, bending over the coffee table, where she wrote on a piece of paper with one hand while the other was typing names into the electronic telephone register on her laptop. She was trying to find all the addresses of the people who were supposed to get an invitation.

Tony was sitting on the comfy chair next to the couch, doing a crossword. He had offered her his help before, but after half an hour Kate had begged him to find something else to do. Every time she had given him a task - like to compare the offers of the florists - he had asked her so many questions about the things she wanted and about what he was supposed to do in this situation or another that she hadn't been able to concentrate on anything else besides him. So instead of working faster, everything had taken twice the time it usually would. Finally Kate had told him not to help her anymore. He had been fine with it, but still had been asking questions. About whether she understood the importance of a female stripper at a bachelor party, for example. She was really glad he was doing the crossword now.

The only problem was that he was doing a really bad job with it.

"A stream in Europe with six letters?" he asked.

Kate didn't answer. She was typing in the last of the names on her list. She got twenty possible hits.

"Kate?"

"Hm?"

"A stream in Europe with six letters?"

"I can't concentrate on your crossword now."

"It will only take a second."

Kate scrolled down the list, found the person she had been looking for and wrote the address next to the name on her list.

"Thames… no. Seine, Rhine … too short. Kate?" Tony had been muttering the names of the rivers and was now calling for Kate again.

Kate shut her laptop and searched the table for the list of caterers a friend had given her.

"We really have to decide on a caterer today," she said, lifting up her mug with cold tea to look through the sheets of paper beneath it. There it was.

"We really have to find a stream with six letters," Tony replied.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, could you forget about your crossword for a minute?" she asked agitatedly.

Tony pouted. "You told me to find something to do."

"Yes, in order to keep you out of the way. But you're still interfering!"

"I'm sorry, but I am a man. Men don't plan weddings. That's the woman's job."

"Oh, is it?" Kate asked pointedly.

Tony nodded, focusing his gaze on the crossword again. "If I had known that you would spend the whole Saturday evening with this, I would have gone out with the boys."

"Why don't you call them now and meet them for a drink?"

"Why don't you take a break of those preparations and go out with me instead?"

"Because the wedding is in four weeks and we haven't decided on anything. I still need to finish the guest list. I need to book rooms for my family. I need to choose the flowers, the food, the dress for the bridesmaid, I…"

"Do you think you could tell me the name of a stream in Europe with six letters before you start with all of this?" Tony asked coolly.

For this stupid remark, Kate threw her pen at him and hit him in the chest. "Ouch!" Tony grunted and threw a cushion at her head.

"Hey!" Kate complained.

"You started it by throwing your pen!"

"Because you were being stupid! Now give me back my pen!"

"No way!"

"Tony!"

"Come here and get it if you dare," he teased.

"You sure you want me to do that?" she asked threateningly and pointed a finger at herself. "Secret Service, remember?"

Tony imitated her gesture, pointing a finger at himself. "Ex-cop, remember?"

"Fine," Kate said, standing up. Tony also stood up and when she wanted to reach for the pen in his hand, he held it up over his head so she couldn't reach it. Kate lightly punched him in the belly instead and shrieked when he suddenly grabbed her and lifted her up in his arms.

"Let me down!" she protested and tried to free herself.

Tony slowly walked over to the couch and dropped her onto it; then he stood over her with his arms crossed in front of his chest and looked down on her with a stern expression on his face.

Kate tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't. After some seconds she started to grin and reached out to him. Tony smiled and kneeled down on the couch to crawl on top of her, careful not to crush her under his weight. He lightly kissed her on the lips and Kate felt a well-known tingling start in her belly. When he kissed the side of her neck and her shoulder, it spread out through her entire body, and made her moan silently in pleasure.

She guessed those preparations could wait for an hour or two.

* * *

The next day was Sunday and Kate took up the organization again. She called her mother and asked when exactly they were planning to come so she could book rooms for them. Her mother had been very excited since Kate had told her that she was getting married, and so the conversation went on for half an hour because Kate had to tell her exactly what she was planning to do.

After talking to her mother, Kate went into the kitchen where Tony was drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"Tony, I really need your guest list today," she said. "You know that I'll be gone for the rest of the week. I need to send the invitations today."

"Okay, I'll go over it again," he said. "But I don't think I have to add anything."

Ten minutes later he brought her a piece of paper with not more than ten names on it. Kate looked at it and frowned. "Is this all?" she wanted to know.

"We said we didn't want to invite too many people," Tony replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, we did, but this … there aren't even any members of your family on the list."

"Of course there are. Look, that's my cousin and his wife. They are flying in. My mother's parents are not going to come. I told them about the marriage, and they are happy about it, but the flight from Seattle would be too much of a strain for them."

"Yeah, okay." Kate muttered. She hadn't been talking about his grandparents when asking about his family. "Tony, what about your father and his wife?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, them. No." Tony shook his head.

"You don't want to invite them?"

"No," he repeated. "I guess they wouldn't wanna come anyway."

"But you can't know that, maybe…"

"Is there anything else you need from me right now?" Tony interrupted her. "'Cause I'm going for a run."

"Er … no," Kate replied, taken aback by his sudden change of topic.

"Good. You wanna come with me?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather finish this."

"Okay," he said and dropped a quick kiss on her lips before going into the bedroom to change into his sweats.

Kate stared after him, feeling uncomfortable. There didn't seem to be anything she could do to get Tony to talk about his father. She had tried several times since they had gotten engaged because she found it strange that she still didn't know the father of the man she was going to marry. But each time she tried, Tony changed the subject or he told her clearly and directly that he didn't want to talk about it. Kate thought it was terrible that Tony wasn't talking to his father. She didn't know what had happened between them that had destroyed their relationship; she just wished she could fix it. When she asked Tony about his father, he sometimes got really upset, even angry. She could feel that whatever had happened was bothering him. But as long as he didn't tell her what was wrong, she couldn't help him in any way.

* * *

That night, Kate was lying awake for a long time. She would be leaving Washington the next day and wouldn't be back until Thursday. She knew exactly that she would be thinking about Tony and his father all the time. Did Tony really not want to invite his father? Maybe it was just some kind of stubbornness that kept him from calling his dad.

Finally, Kate gave up trying to fall asleep and turned to face Tony.

"Tony?" she asked quietly. She waited for some seconds, but his only response was a silent grunt.

"Tony?" she asked again, running her hand over his chest. He muttered something and pulled the blanket over his head, but Kate knew that he was awake now. She leaned in and kissed him to make up for having woken him up in the middle of the night.

"What is it?" Tony muttered tiredly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Can't it wait until the morning?" he sighed.

"I'm sorry. This thing is keeping me awake."

"Okay. What do you want to ask me?"

"Are you really not going to invite your father to our wedding?"

Tony let out a snorting laugh. "No," he replied, as if telling her that he was not planning on leaving NCIS to join a traveling circus.

"Are you going to tell him that we are getting married?"

"No," he said again.

Kate sighed, frustrated, and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling for a couple of moments. "Does your father even now about me?" she wanted to know.

"The last time I talked to him, you and I weren't together yet."

"Don't you want to tell him?"

"Kate, this is not a question about wanting or not wanting to tell him anything. I don't want to talk to him in general and I don't care what he knows or doesn't know about my life."

She was silent for a while, considering his answer. Then she shifted closer to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "You never told me why exactly you and your father aren't talking to each other. All I know is that he wasn't happy when you decided that you wanted to be a policeman. But that's not the reason, is it?"

"No," Tony replied quietly. "It goes a lot deeper than that."

"What happened?" Kate asked, hoping that he'd finally let her in.

But Tony sighed and slowly shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it, Kate. He was not the perfect father, I was not the perfect son and a lot of things went wrong between us. What else can I say?"

"You could tell me about it, about the things that went wrong."

"It's in the middle of the night."

"So tell me about it another time."

"Okay," he sighed, but she knew exactly that he didn't mean it.

"You know you can tell me about it, don't you?" she asked. "I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

"I know," he said, reaching for her hand.

* * *

The next morning, Kate hoped that Tony would keep his promise and tell her about his father, but he didn't even mention the conversation they'd had during the night and Kate didn't raise the topic either. At seven o'clock she had to leave to catch the plane. They took their time to say goodbye to each other; they always did, especially after what had happened to Kate in Europe. Before leaving, Kate almost reminded him of his promise to tell her about his father, but then she didn't say anything and left with the issue still on her mind.

Kate usually managed to keep her private life out of her job. She didn't let it interfere with anything she was doing at work and she didn't make an exception this time. But every day of the following week, when work was finally over, she would sit on the bed in her room with her head full of thoughts of the wedding and Tony. Quite often, she thought about Tony and his father. She wished there was something she could do. She wanted Tony to be happy, more than anything else.

But there wasn't anything she could do. Tony refused to talk to his father and she couldn't force him to. For Kate it was hard to imagine that someone deliberately didn't talk to one of their parents. She had always had a wonderful relationship to her father and even though her mother sometimes managed to really annoy her, Kate had never considered not talking to her anymore - not for more than a couple of days, that was. Tony hadn't talked to his father for over a year, maybe a lot more than that. She guessed they'd had hardly any contact since Tony had left college. How could two adults be so stubborn? Time's a healer, right? Maybe whatever had come between them didn't even matter anymore and they could sort things out if they were willing to talk to each other.

Maybe she did have to force Tony.

Kate frowned at her own thought and her gaze wandered over to the laptop sitting on the table in front of the window. With that computer she had access to all sorts of databases. It would be easy to find Tony's father. But no, she couldn't do that, not behind Tony's back. But he always looked so unhappy when she mentioned his father to him. If there was even the slightest chance that she could help them sort things out. Didn't she have to try? For Tony's own good?

One hour later Kate was sitting on the bed with a small piece of paper in her hand. On the paper she had scribbled the number of the real estate company Tony's father was the president of. In the morning she was planning to call that number and ask to speak with Mr. DiNozzo. It might not be easy to be put through to the president of the company, but surely it was not impossible, not if she said who she was. All she had to do now was figure out if she should really do it.

* * *

When Kate was back on Air Force One the next day around 11 a.m. and didn't have any imminent duties to carry out, she used the air phone to dial the company's number. A receptionist answered her call and she asked to be put through to Mr. DiNozzo's office. Five seconds later a female secretary picked up the phone.

Kate took a deep breath and explained what she wanted: "Hello, my name is Kate Todd. I'd like to talk to Mr. DiNozzo concerning some family affairs."

"And you are part of the DiNozzo family?" the secretary asked, not impolite, but definitely wary.

"I'm the fiancée of Anthony DiNozzo, Mr. DiNozzo's son."

"Please wait while I talk to the president," the secretary said and put Kate on hold.

Kate's palms were sweating. Her heart was beating wild. And she felt really, really uncomfortable. What would Tony say if he knew what she was doing? Maybe she should just hang up before it was too late. But right at that moment she heard a click in the line.

"Hello?" a deep male voice said.

"Mr. DiNozzo? Hello, my name is Caitlyn Todd. I'm calling to talk to you about your son Tony."

* * *

Kate knew Tony had been wondering why she was in such an extremely delightful mood all week. She'd said it was because she was looking forward to the wedding – and that wasn't a lie. But what she didn't say was that she was happy about how well the conversation with Tony's father had gone. Mr. DiNozzo had been happy to get to know her and wanted to meet her and Tony. Obviously he wasn't unwilling to talk to his son. He had said he was going to come to Washington the next week, which was the week after Kate had been out of town. He had called her again during the week to arrange a dinner on Friday.

Kate didn't say a word about it in front of Tony; she merely asked him to go to dinner with her Friday night and he agreed. Kate wasn't nervous anymore, only excited. Tony's father had reacted so well to her phone call. He seemed to be looking forward to meeting Tony and she knew that Tony would also be glad in the end; she just knew it!

On Friday, Kate had to go to work early and was glad about it because she didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep her secret. In the late afternoon, Tony called her at work and said that he would have to work longer, so he would meet her at the restaurant. Such things were not unusual between them. They had such irregular working hours that they had learned to be prepared. Tony had his tuxedo with him and could change into it at work so he didn't have to go home first. The restaurant they were going to was very exclusive. Tony's father had chosen it. Kate was sure she wouldn't even have gotten a table there and she was glad Tony hadn't gotten suspicious because of it.

Kate took her time to prepare for the evening. She wanted to make a good impression on Tony's father because she knew that the first impression was very important. She put on a classic little black dress and new shoes, which were quite uncomfortable, but looked fantastic. She wore her hair up and chose to leave her golden necklace with the cross around her neck; simple earrings were best this time. She didn't want to make it look like it was too much. God, she was nervous again!

She took a cab and arrived at the restaurant five minutes early. She really hoped Tony hadn't arrived before her. On entering the restaurant she had to keep herself from staring at her surroundings with her eyes wide open and her jaw hanging down. The place was luxurious!

A stunningly beautiful woman asked for her name and Kate said she was here to meet Milo DiNozzo. The woman smiled at her and signaled to one of the waiters to come over. Kate followed the man into the restaurant and was led to a table set for three near an elegant indoor fountain in the middle of the large room. Mr. DiNozzo was already there. When he saw Kate approach, he got up and she had a chance to look at him. He was very similar to Tony in size and stature, and his posture was as straight as that of a former marine. His hair was black, but was turning grey at the sides. He was definitely one of the men who made grey hair look noble. His features didn't resemble those of his son. He had a rather thin and stern face with dark eyes and a slightly crooked nose. Kate immediately felt the aura of respect surrounding the man.

When she reached him, she smiled and wanted to shake his hand, but he lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Todd," he said. "I'm very glad you called."

"The pleasure is all mine," Kate replied. "And you're very welcome. I'm glad you managed to come here tonight."

Mr. DiNozzo pulled out her chair for her and they sat down.

"Tony is going to be here soon," Kate said. "He's coming directly from work."

His father nodded. "To be honest, I'm surprised that he agreed to come." The way he was looking at her made Kate feel that he knew exactly what was up.

Shifting uncomfortably on her chair, Kate leaned forward slightly and looked openly at Tony's father. "Mr. DiNozzo, there's one thing I haven't told you yet," she said. "Tony doesn't know you're here. He thinks he's meeting me alone."

"I see," Mr. DiNozzo said, not sounding surprised at all. "Then this will come unexpected for him. But we'll see. There he is."

Kate turned to look over her shoulder and saw Tony approach, following the waiter. He was looking at the restaurant and the fountain and wasn't particularly paying attention to where he was going. He didn't look at Kate and the other person sitting at the table until he had almost reached them. When he did look, Kate saw the color drain from his face. She was shocked to see him turn so pale.

"What the…?" he started, his gaze wandering between Kate and his father.

"Hello, son," Mr. DiNozzo said.

Tony was still looking for words. "Dad, how did you… when…" His gaze locked on Kate's. "How did he get in touch with you?"

"He didn't," Kate replied. "I called him. I wanted you to talk to each other."

Tony stared at her, and she tried to smile at him, but he didn't return the smile. He looked still shocked and at the same time … disappointed. Disappointed in her?

"Sit down, Tony," his father said.

Tony's posture told Kate that he was seriously considering just walking away. He was still standing at some distance from the table, his body tense, staring at his father. "Why have you come here?" he asked warily.

"Because your fiancée invited me," his father replied. "You obviously didn't consider it necessary to tell me that you are getting married in two weeks."

"No, I didn't."

"Please, Tony, please sit down!" Kate pleaded, reaching for his hand. She was feeling terrible. Seeing Tony like this, acting so coldly and looking at her with that expression of disappointment and anger, it was terrible. She had only wanted to help!

After a few seconds she saw him make a decision. He straightened and took a step closer, pulled out his chair and sat down next to Kate.

His father smiled. "I'm glad to see you, son," he said, reaching for the bottle of champagne that was waiting in a cooler next to the table. He filled their glasses and lifted his up, waiting for Kate and Tony to join him. Kate lifted hers, but Tony hesitated for several seconds before doing the same.

"Kate, you and I didn't have much time to talk yet," Mr. DiNozzo said. "Would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

"Not at all," Kate said, smiling brightly. "What would you like to know?"

Tony's father started with some questions about Kate's family and education before getting to her job. She answered his questions willingly, but Tony kept quiet all the time. Kate noticed that he was watching his father intently. He didn't let him out of his sight for a second, not even when the first course of their meal arrived.

While they were eating, Mr. DiNozzo wanted to know about Tony's and Kate's relationship, how long they'd known each other, and so on.

"And now," he finally said, letting his gaze wander over to his son. "I'd like to know why you moved to Washington DC. The last time I heard from you, you were still in Baltimore."

Kate looked at Tony in amazement. He hadn't even told his father where he lived?

"I applied for a job in DC and got it," Tony replied curtly.

"What kind of job?"

"I work for NCIS."

"NCIS?" His father seemed to think about it for a while; then he shrugged. "I don't think I've heard of this NCIS before."

"It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service," Tony replied. "It's a federal agency."

"You're a federal agent now?"

Tony nodded.

The waiter came and took away their empty plates. It was silent around their table for a while. Then Tony's father spoke again: "I'm very happy to see that my son is in such good hands now," he said, smiling at Kate. "And I'm glad that you seem to have developed some sense of professional ambition," he said to Tony.

"Does this mean your evaluation is finished now?" Tony asked coldly.

"I didn't come here to evaluate anything," his father said, dangerously calm. "I came to get to know your fiancée, my future daughter-in-law, whom you've kept secret from me for more than a year."

"Kept her secret?" Tony repeated, his voice icy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you intending to call me to invite me to your wedding?"

Tony glared at his father. "I did not think it would be of interest to you."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're my only son. Of course I want to know about your wedding."

"So now I'm your son again?" Tony spat the words out.

"Tony!" Kate exclaimed.

"That's okay, Kate," Mr. DiNozzo said before turning to Tony again. "I really don't understand your attitude," he told him. "Now that you've decided to settle down, have a family. I would like to get to know my grandchildren one day."

"Why?" Tony asked coldly. "You weren't interested in being a father, but you want to be a grandfather?" His father tried to interrupt, but Tony didn't let him. "No, seriously. What are you going to do when you have grandchildren? Play baseball with them? Go to their birthday parties? Or just bribe them with expensive presents?"

"Is this it? Are you still angry because of the money? I assure you that it won't be an issue any longer. I told you right from the beginning that as soon as you…"

"Don't you dare!" Tony interrupted him loudly. "Don't you dare say that now! This is not about money. It never was about money. You disowned me before I was twenty and I have gotten along pretty well since then, even without your money. I built myself a life, a good one. And I'm not letting you back into it just because you feel that now you could finally be proud of me."

"Think hard about what you're saying," his father said. "You were pleading for money for years. Do you really want to give it up deliberately now?"

Tony stood up so quickly that his chair almost fell over. A couple of heads turned in their direction, but he ignored them when he pointed a finger at his father. "You can keep your money. I already have all I want." And with that he turned and walked out of the restaurant.

Kate stared after him in shock, not having the slightest idea of what she had just witnessed. What had this conversation been about? She looked at Tony's father, who acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Suddenly she jumped up and muttered an excuse before running after Tony. She couldn't let him leave like this; he was fuming with anger.

She caught up to him out on the parking lot when he was unlocking his car. She put a hand on his arm and tried to make him look at her, but he didn't. "Tony," she said pleadingly. "What happened in there? I don't understand."

"I told you to leave it," he said quietly, still not looking at her. "I told you not to ask questions about him. And what do you do? You call him behind my back and trick me into meeting him. Why, Kate? Why couldn't you leave it?"

"He's your father, Tony," she tried again. "I only wanted to help."

"You know nothing about him or what happened between us."

"Because you wouldn't tell me!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to marry you in two weeks and I know nothing about your father or why you are so mad at him. Why can't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't understand." He said it with such disgust in his voice that Kate instinctively took a step back. When she let go of his arm, he opened the car door and climbed on the driver's seat. Kate could only watch him drive away.

She stood in the parking lot for more than five minutes, staring at the empty spot where Tony's mustang had been. Her limbs were feeling numb. She slowly made her way back into the restaurant, feeling tears collect in her eyes, but not letting them fall.

Mr. DiNozzo stood up when she reached the table. "I guess you want to leave now," he said.

Kate nodded. She felt close to collapsing. "I'm sorry that you made the journey in vain," she said. "I didn't know…" She shook her head, not knowing how to continue. She hadn't known Tony had been so serious when he told her he didn't want to talk to his father. She hadn't believed that he really hated him.

"I didn't expect anything else," Mr. DiNozzo said. "It's been like this ever since his mother died."

Kate wanted to ask a question, wanted to find out more, but she felt she didn't have a right. She wanted to know, but even more she wanted Tony to tell her. So she said nothing.

Tony's father walked her out and offered to take her home, but Kate turned down the offer. She said goodbye and shook his hand before climbing into the taxi that had pulled up next to the sidewalk. Tears were rolling down her cheeks by now. The way Tony had talked to her before… She had never heard him talk to her in such a cold and distanced manner. She had really made him angry today. She was almost scared of the moment when she would get home.

But Tony wasn't home. When she stepped into the apartment, all the lights were out. At first she thought Tony had already gone to bed, but he was not in the bedroom either. She took her cell phone out of her purse and dialed his number, but she was sent directly into voicemail.

"Tony, it's me. Where are you? I'm worried. Look, I'm so sorry about what happened. Please come home."

She ended the call and sat down on the bed, keeping her phone in her hand, hoping for it to ring. After ten minutes she went into the bathroom and started to take her make-up off. Then she changed into a T-shirt - one of Tony's - and sweat pants and went into the living room where she sat on the couch to wait. She sat there thinking for a long time, angry at herself for what she had done. When she couldn't take the silence anymore, she turned on the TV and watched a rerun of "Friends". It was still not very late, not even 11, but she felt terribly exhausted. She drifted in and out of sleep for two hours; then she jerked awake and didn't know why.

The clock on the VCR was now showing 1:10. Kate got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to drink a glass of water. Then she went into the bedroom, half hoping that Tony had returned while she had been asleep. But he still wasn't there.

Now she lied down on the bed and hugged Tony's pillow to her. She couldn't sleep and so she lied awake for the rest of the night and waited for Tony to come home. But he didn't come.

The next day was a Saturday. Kate would have to go to work in the afternoon, but she had the morning off and could try to find Tony. At first she tried his cell phone again. This time it rang, but he didn't pick up. She left another message telling him that she was worried and to please come home or at least call her back.

Then she called Abby because she really needed to hear a friendly voice. When she heard how groggy Abby sounded over the phone, she knew she must have woken her up. Of course she had, it was only 7:30 on a Saturday morning.

"Kate, what is it?" Abby asked when she heard Kate's strained voice.

So Kate told her everything. She had to start at the beginning because Abby hadn't known about her plan to bring Tony and his father together.

"I'm coming over," Abby said when Kate had finished her story.

"Really?" Kate asked, sounding relieved. She felt terrible for disturbing Abby so early in the morning, but she desperately wanted her to come.

"Of course I am. I'll be over in half an hour."

"Abby? Do you think … Could you pass by the office? Maybe Tony's there."

"Sure. Good idea."

Forty-five minutes later Abby knocked on Kate's door. She pulled Kate into a hug as soon as she opened the door. "Was he at the office?" Kate asked hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry."

Kate sighed. "Where could he be?"

"I guess he's staying with one of his friends," Abby said, taking Kate's arm and leading her into the kitchen. She made her sit down at the table and filled the kettle with water to make some tea. "Don't worry about him, Kate. He'll be back soon."

"I'm not so sure," Kate whispered. "You didn't see him, Abby. He was furious. I've never seen him like this; he almost scared me."

"Can you tell me again what happened during the meal? I didn't understand."

"I didn't understand either. I think the argument was about money, but then there also seemed to be so much more to it."

"Hmm…" Abby hummed thoughtfully. She started to say something, but was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She looked at the display. "It's Gibbs," she said, before answering the phone.

"What's up, bossman? ... Yeah, I'm awake, why? … What's that supposed to mean? I'm always up early … Yeah, of course I'm coming." She was about to end the call when she suddenly remembered something. "Gibbs? Have you already called Tony? … You have? And is he coming?" After two more seconds she pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up.

"So?" Kate asked hopefully.

"Gibbs has a case," Abby said. "He called Tony and he's on his way."

Kate sighed in relief. At least he was okay. "Can you tell him to call me?"

"Of course," Abby said. "I'll kick his ass if he doesn't."

"No, it's not his fault," Kate said immediately. "I was the one who made him angry by going behind his back. I just wished he'd talk to me."

Abby still had some time before she had to go. The team had to go to the crime scene, collect the evidence and bring it back before there was any work for her. So she stayed with Kate and listened to her self-reprimanding until she decided it was enough and told Kate off.

"It's not your fault!" she said. "You are going to marry the man. It's normal to want to know about his family."

Kate nodded half-heartedly, but her eyes started to fill with tears. "What if he doesn't want to marry me anymore?" she asked.

"Of course he wants to marry you. He's not an idiot."

* * *

It was Tony who brought the evidence into the lab shortly before noon. As soon as Abby saw him, she pointed a finger at him and shouted: "You! Call your fiancée, immediately! She was out of her mind with worry this morning. Where were you?"

"I was staying with a friend," Tony said, dropping the box on the table.

"And it would have killed you to call her and tell her that you're okay?"

"I didn't want to talk to her."

"Don't be an idiot!" Abby said. "She didn't mean to hurt you, she was trying to help."

"She contacted my father. She did it behind my back, kept it secret from me - even though I told her not to."

"You told her not to call your father?"

"I told her not to ask questions about him. How could I know that she would call him?"

"She did it because she loves you. She wanted to help you work things out."

"I don't want her help in this," he said curtly. Then he pointed to the box with evidence. "Gibbs says he'll be down here in an hour." He went to leave again, but Abby stopped him.

"Don't you walk out on me like this!" she said in a threatening tone. "Kate is my best friend and you're hurting her for no reason at all."

"Shut up, Abby, okay?" Tony shouted, turning on her. "Why is it always me who has to take the blame? It's always me who has to apologize in the end. Because Kate couldn't possibly make a mistake, could she? But she made one this time. She had no right to do what she has done, no right!"

Abby stared at him, totally at a loss for words. She had never seen Tony so angry before. It was just as Kate had said. She didn't stop him when he walked out this time.

* * *

Kate got home at 10:30 pm that night. She dreaded going back home because she feared Tony might still be gone. What would she do if he wasn't there? With shaking hands she turned the key in the lock and opened the door. The hall was dark; so was the living room.

"Tony?" she asked into the empty apartment. She knew he wasn't there, but still she went into the kitchen and the bedroom to make sure. Back in the empty living room she suddenly felt she couldn't take it any more. She had been holding herself together all day, concentrating on her work as best as she could, but now it became too much. He had been gone for more than twenty-four hours. Had he left her? Had he left her for good? She didn't even make it to the couch; she just sank down to the ground in the middle of the living room, buried her face in her arms and started to cry.

This was how Tony found her when he came home half an hour later. He heard her sobs the moment he stepped into the hall. Slipping his jacket off on the way, he went into the living room and stopped when he saw her. She looked terribly small and vulnerable sitting there like that. She had wrapped her arms around her knees and her face was buried in her arms. She hadn't even noticed that he'd come home.

"Kate?" he said quietly, not moving an inch.

Her sobbing stopped immediately and she lifted her head, staring at him out of red eyes. Then she struggled to get to her feet and wanted to run to him, but the way he stood there motionlessly, not speaking, just looking at her, made her stay where she was.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said because she couldn't think of anything else to say. "I was worried about you last night."

"I needed to clear my mind," Tony said. "I stayed at Woody's."

"I see," Kate whispered. She took a step closer to him, just because her feet were moving before she could stop them. Tears were still burning in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she said, hardly able to keep her voice under control. "Had I known that seeing him would … had I known, I would have never called him."

"And the fact that I told you I didn't want to talk to my father was not an indicator for you to let it rest?" he asked bitterly.

"I thought you didn't mean it," she said desperately. "I thought if you'd just talk to him, everything would turn out okay. I was wrong, I know that now, and I'm terribly sorry. But I don't even know what happened back there in the restaurant." She was trying very hard to keep still, but it was almost impossible. She wanted to go to him, hold him, be held by him. She needed to know if they were okay. But she didn't dare make the first step.

They were standing there for minutes, looking at each other. More and more tears were collecting in Kate's eyes. She didn't think that she had ever felt worse than in that moment. She hated herself for what she'd done. What could she do to make it right?

Finally Tony was the one who moved first. He took a small step forward and reached out a hand to her. The next second Kate was in his arms and crying her heart out. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Her legs would have given in if it wasn't for Tony's arms around her keeping her upright.

"It's okay," he said. "Don't cry; it's okay." He stroked her back soothingly, but it didn't calm her down. Kate wanted to stop crying, but she simply couldn't. She'd been so scared. And now she was so glad he was back and that he wasn't mad at her anymore. He might still be mad, actually, but at least he wasn't furious or shouting at her.

When she didn't stop crying and didn't let him go, Tony carefully lifted her up in his arms. He sat down on the couch with her and wrapped a blanket around her to make the shivering stop. Kate rested her head on his shoulder and felt how she slowly started to calm down by being in his arms. She took several deep breaths, small sobs hitching in her throat once or twice. After another minute Tony reached for a packet of tissues on the side table and handed her one.

"Thank you," Kate muttered. She got off his lap to sit beside him, blew her nose and wiped her face dry.

"Are you feeling better now?" Tony asked and she nodded. "Then explain to me what you were thinking," he said. "Because I really don't understand why you had to do this."

Kate nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed again. "I guess I couldn't accept that you refused to tell me about your father," she admitted. "And I thought that maybe, whatever happened between you two, maybe it wasn't that terrible and that all it would take was a serious conversation. I wanted to help, but I guess I made things worse."

"Don't worry, I don't think they can get worse."

Kate wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a joke or not, but then Tony looked at her and smiled faintly and she was relieved. "So you aren't mad at me any more?" she asked hopefully.

Tony slowly shook his head. "You know perfectly well that I never manage to stay mad at you," he said, lightly brushing his fingertips over her cheek.

A happy smile lit up Kate's face and she leaned over to hug him.

Tony kissed the side of her neck and ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you still want to hear it?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you still want to hear about my father and me?"

Kate pulled back slightly to be able to look at him. "Really?" she asked. "Are you willing to tell me?"

"You were right; I should have told you a long time ago. Then you would've understood why I couldn't tell my father about you. It's just that I don't like talking about my past. There are things I'm not proud of and I didn't want you to think badly of me."

"I'd never think badly of you," Kate said, sounding shocked.

Tony smiled at her. "Okay then," he sighed. "God, I don't even know where to start. The argument yesterday, you probably figured out that it was partly about money."

Kate nodded. She had understood that much.

"But it's not what you may think," Tony continued. "You see, it's not what you see in movies; that the son is after his father's money. It's the contrary: I don't want my father's money. But he thinks secretly I do and that it gives him power over me – he's used to having power over others."

"But why did he disown you?" Kate wanted to know. "You're his only son!"

Tony sighed and rubbed the palms of his hands over his eyes. "I think I need a beer before I can tell you this," he said, getting up from the couch. "You want something?"

"Water, please."

A minute later Tony was back with his beer and a bottle of water for Kate. He sat down next to Kate and placed an arm around her shoulders. It was all she needed to be happy and relieved. She looked up at him and when he turned his face towards her, she leaned in and kissed him.

"Please don't do that to me ever again," she whispered, resting her forehead against his cheek. "No matter how angry you are, don't walk out on me. It was terrible."

He put his other arm around her as well and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't think I'd ever leave you," he whispered.

When they'd settled on the couch, Tony took up his story again, starting at the beginning:

"My mother died when I was ten. I had always had a nanny, but my mom had still done some of the things parents do. After her death other people had to do that. My nannies brought me up and looked after me while my father was working and went on his business trips. I had a driver who took me to school every day and there was a woman who cooked dinner for me every night. My father married again some months later. She was ten years younger than my mother. I only got to know her two weeks before the marriage."

Kate turned her head to look at Tony. He was telling the story as if he were talking about someone else. There was no notable tone of sadness or anger in his voice. She wondered if it really didn't touch him or if he was only pretending.

"My father and I led separate lives," Tony continued. "He was never really interested in what I did, except when my marks were bad or whenever he wanted me to do something he thought suitable for a young man. All the rest… he just never seemed to care."

"But that must have been really hard," Kate said. "Didn't you want him to be more interested?"

"Of course," Tony said with a shrug. "But I guess at some point I gave up. Maybe that was around the time when I started getting myself into trouble." He took a swig of his beer and absent-mindedly traced his hand down Kate's arm. She put her hand over his. "When I was about fourteen I had some older friends who I thought were pretty cool. But they actually were a lot of trouble. They drank beer and smoked cigarettes and since I was the youngest, they always made me do stupid tests; steal small things from shops, for example. They weren't rich like all the other kids at my school. I guess that's what I liked most about them. But my dad didn't like it. He found out about my friends when one of my shopliftings went wrong and the police brought me home. He totally lost it that night. Spoke about military school and no more pocket money for months. From that day on, it only got worse between us." Tony sighed and looked at Kate out of the corner of his eyes. "You took some psychology in college, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I once read about something…"

"Which means you saw it on TV."

Tony smirked and stole a quick kiss before he continued: "Okay, I saw a thing on the news where it said that some children get themselves into trouble because it's the only way to get the attention they want from their parents."

Kate nodded. "That's true. And the more the parents punish them, the more trouble the kids get themselves into because even negative response is better than being ignored."

"Yeah," Tony said thoughtfully, drawing out the word. "I think that maybe my problems as a teenager had something to do with that. But I don't know. Maybe I was just more of a rebel than others." He shrugged and went back to telling his story: "My grades in school got worse every term. Outside of school I was hanging out with the wrong people. I dated girls who were older than me, had already dropped out of school or were about to, and some of them actually had drug problems. I guess I was really lucky that I didn't get into that scene." Tony cracked a smile. "But at that time I definitely learned how to party!"

Kate rolled her eyes, but squeezed his hand to make him continue.

"I guess I could talk for hours about the things I did when I was younger," Tony said. "My father showed me clearly how little he approved of the life I was leading. He did everything to change me, except be there for me. He never wanted to handle the problem. He wanted a son to be proud of and that definitely wasn't me. To make a long story short: The summer after I graduated from high school I got into an accident with my father's sports car. I had been racing against another guy; I think it was about a girl, I don't even remember now. I wasn't hurt, just a couple of scratches, but the car was a total wreck. The next day my father told me that he was going to disown me. No more money unless I agreed to go to college and study a subject of his choice. At that time, the thought of not getting any more money from my father was really scary for me. And I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I thought, why not study what he wants and lead a great life as a student with his money. So I accepted and went to Ohio State. My father bought me an apartment and gave me a generous amount of money, on the single condition that I would really go to classes."

"So you studied business."

Tony nodded. "I took the minimal number of classes and spent five nights a week out in clubs – or had parties at my apartment. It was great!" He sighed contentedly at the memory. "I was the king of the campus," he bragged. "My parties were famous."

Kate nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

Tony cleared his throat and went on. "After my first term my dad wanted me to come and do an internship with his enterprise. I was okay with it as long as I didn't have to see him too often. But then he started to change the conditions of our agreement. During the second term he wanted me to work at the company for at least fifteen hours a week. So I did that. He made it clear that if I didn't show commitment to the family business, I wouldn't get any more money. He started to introduce me to all kinds of people; his business partners, even politicians. He said things like 'This is my son Anthony. He is studying business and is going to take over the family business one day.'" Tony made a disgusted sound. "He had never treated me as his son, but when I started to lead the life he wanted me to live, I suddenly was worth carrying his name. I played along for months, but then I had enough. I didn't want to step into his footsteps; I didn't want to be like him. Suddenly I understood that he had kept me under his control with the mere threat of not giving me any more money. I felt terribly ashamed of myself that day. So I told my father that I wouldn't continue school. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. He treated me extremely coldly. He said that if I didn't go to college any more, he would disown me. So I said that he could take his money and stick it … well, you get the idea."

Kate snuggled closer to Tony's side. "And that was it?" she asked.

"That was it," he said. "I spent the whole summer thinking about what to do with my life to piss off my dad to the max. I figured he would absolutely hate having a cop in the family. So I went to the police academy."

"Did he ever try to convince you to come back?" Kate asked.

"Yes. He told me several times that as soon as I decided to lead an honorable life, he would gladly welcome me back in the family. I would get my money and a job in my father's company and he could go back to telling people that he has a son. But I never wanted that."

"So you never tried to work things out between you? To convince him that you're happy with your life?"

"I told him once or twice that I'm content with my life, but he didn't care. It's not me who has to be happy – it's him."

Tony stroked Kate's hair and pulled her closer to kiss her. He could still smell the salt of her tears on her cheek and immediately felt guilty because he had made her cry.

"Now do you know why I didn't want to tell my father about you?" he asked gently.

Kate shrugged. "I can understand why you don't talk to him in general."

"No," Tony shook his head. "This is different. You see, being married, having a family, is one of the things my father always wanted for me. For him, a beautiful wife is one of the things a successful man needs to have. If I had told him about you, he would have expected that I was convincing him that my life has changed. He would have thought that I only want to make points with him."

"Okay, but what does it matter as long as you and I know that it's not true?"

"It does matter," Tony said. "Because I'm proud of having you in my life." He cupped her face with his hands to make sure she was looking at him before he said: "You and me, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm not going to let my father dishonor our relationship in any way."

Without saying a word, Kate climbed on Tony's lap again and slid her arms around his neck. She knew that today she had learned something very important about him. Even if the relationship to his father was no longer a determining factor in his life, it had partly led him to be the man he was today, the man she loved. Kate was happy that he was now willing to share this piece of his life with her. But she hadn't really given him a choice, had she?

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," she said, lifting her head to look at him. "I shouldn't have called your father, especially not behind your back."

"It's okay," Tony said quietly, stroking her cheek. He slowly leaned in for a gentle kiss, their lips barely touching. "I'm sorry I walked out on you," he whispered. "I overreacted. I know you must have been worried."

Kate hugged him again and after some seconds Tony lay down on the couch with her curled up to his side. She snuggled as close as she could get and when she felt Tony's arms close securely around her back, she relaxed into him. Her idea of bringing Tony and his father back together may have been stupid and she would need to accept that there wasn't anything she could do to change it. But there was one thing she definitely could do: she could be Tony's family.


	18. Wedding Bells

_A/N: Yes, here it is. You've waited patiently and I'm in updating mood today, so you're finally getting your wedding. And no, the story is not finished yet._

_beta: AliasCSINYFriendsER - the one and only!_

**Chapter 18**

When Tony awoke, he didn't know where he was right away. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but the feeling of the pillow under his head and of the mattress under his body was unfamiliar to him. His mouth was dry and his tongue felt swollen and furry. There also was a throbbing pain behind his eyes, telling him that last night he had done more than watch a movie and go to bed.

He slowly opened his eyes and winced as the morning light hit him. Groaning at the pain in his head, he sat up halfway and looked around. His head started to spin at the movement, but he managed to make out that he was lying on a dark red leather couch, still fully dressed and a blanket tangled around his legs. Trying to regain his memory of the previous night, Tony licked his dry lips and left the couch in search of some water.

Now he recognized the place - it was Woody's - and as he was walking into the kitchen, he started to remember that he had spent the last three nights here. He had been forced to sleep here because Kate's mother, Pam, had put the stupid idea in Kate's head that a man and a woman who were about to get married were not supposed to sleep together before the wedding. Kate, Pam, Abby, and Marie had been fussing over the whole apartment for days, not once taking a break in their preparations. All they were talking about were dresses, flowers, hair, make-up and sitting arrangements. They had been driving Tony crazy and he was glad that he hadn't taken the days before the marriage off - Gibbs wouldn't have let him anyway; he was already unhappy enough that he would have to give Tony a couple of days for his honeymoon - and so Tony could spend his days at the office. But he would have liked to spend the nights at his own apartment with his fiancée.

In the kitchen, Tony poured himself a glass of water and drank it down in huge gulps. Then he poured himself another glass full and took the bottle of aspirin out of a cupboard. He swallowed two pills and drank some more water before sitting down at the table and burying his face in his arms. His head was killing him. What the hell had he done yesterday?

When after ten minutes the pills started to have an effect, Tony wondered for the first time how late it may be. Damn, Gibbs would kill him if he was late for work! There was no clock in the kitchen and Tony wasn't wearing his watch, so he shuffled back into the living room to check the clock on the VCR. He jumped when he saw that it was already a quarter past nine. Why the hell hadn't Woody woken him up? Duh, probably because Woody was passed out himself!

Tony decided to check the bedroom to see if Woody was still asleep. He crossed the small hall and spotted his tuxedo hanging there on a coat hanger. He remembered having put it there after having come home yesterday. After work he had gone to the tailor's for his last fitting. Kate had been furious because he hadn't done that earlier and had waited until the day before the…

Oh my god!

Reality caught up so quickly with Tony that he almost stumbled. Suddenly he remembered what day it was. He wasn't late for work - he didn't have to go to work today. Today he was getting married!

That's why he was so hung-over. He had gone to a bachelor party last night - his own bachelor party! He couldn't remember a lot of details, but there had definitely been a stripper, cigars and cocktails - a lot of them. Tony fleetingly remembered the faces of the men he had spent the night with. Woody and the rest of his friends, Kate's brothers Pat and Sean and he thought he also remembered Cam. Yeah, right, Cam and his family had arrived yesterday, too. Kate's whole family had finally arrived now. Tony's cousin, Roger, had also been at the party. Roger, the son of Tony's uncle and the only member of the DiNozzo family Tony actually liked, had arrived with his wife yesterday. They hadn't seen each other in ages and had a lot of catching up to do.

Overcoming his puzzlement, Tony went on and knocked on the door of Woody's bedroom. When he didn't get an answer, he entered and saw his best man lying on the bed, still fully dressed just like Tony had been and sleeping soundly. He was snoring like a chain saw.

"Woody, get up," Tony called, but waking his friend needed more extreme measures. Tony had to punch him on the arm several times until he got Woody to respond and even then the other man merely grunted and turned away from the disturbance.

By the time both men had showered and were dressed in clean clothes it was past 10 a.m. Tony had to be at the church by two p.m. since the wedding was going to be at three. He was sure Kate had gotten up hours ago to get ready and he was glad that he was a man and didn't have to go through the ordeal of having his hair and make-up done. That's why now he still had time to go and have breakfast with Woody. During the last half hour he had started to feel more and more nervous and he wasn't even sure if he would be able to eat much, but he definitely needed something solid to fight his hang-over.

Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast did the trick and when they came back to the apartment at 11, Tony was feeling a lot better. But he was still nervous. God, today was his wedding day!

He sat down on the couch and stared at the empty screen of the TV. Woody came to sit next to him and picked up the remote control, but didn't turn the TV on.

"You have the rings, right?" Tony asked him.

"Huh?" Woody asked, oblivious.

"The rings, Woody!" Tony exclaimed. "Please tell me you still have them!"

Woody laughed. "Calm down, Tony. Of course I have them!"

Tony muttered an insult under his breath and returned to staring at the TV.

"You okay?" Woody wanted to know.

"Yep." Tony nodded.

"Wow, that sounded convincing. Maybe you should work on that before you meet Kate in front of the altar."

Tony looked at his friend. "I'm not getting cold feet," he said, guessing what Woody was aiming at. "I'm not getting cold feet, but hell, I'm going to get married today!"

Woody smiled, nodding faintly. "I guess you're a lucky man."

"This coming from you?"

Woody grinned then shrugged. "Kate is one hell of a woman. You'd be stupid not to marry her."

Tony looked at him, stunned. He didn't think he had ever heard his friend talk in such a way before. "Thanks, man," he said.

It was silent between them for a while, but Woody still didn't switch on the TV.

"You nervous?" he asked after a couple of minutes.

Tony scoffed. "Yeah."

He was so nervous, he almost felt sick. He had no idea what to expect of this day. Kate had done most of the preparations and all he had in his mind was a mix of scenes taken from movies and TV shows that had to do with weddings. A church decorated with flowers, an organ playing, a priest talking. He imagined the party, the cake, dancing with Kate and the rest of the women from her family. But it wasn't really the wedding itself that made him nervous. It was the symbolic value, what it meant for his life.

A part of him still couldn't believe that Kate had really agreed to marry him; that she was willing to put up with him for the rest of her life. And that part of him was a tiny bit afraid that she might change her mind and not come to the church today. Another part of him was scared of the future. He was going to be a husband. He had no idea how to be a husband. He would be a father some day, not _too_ soon, but some day in the future. And he definitely had no idea how to be a father. But perhaps he only had to be the exact opposite of his own father and everything would be fine.

But the thought that Tony might get cold feet was ridiculous. To run away from this marriage would mean to give up everything he wanted for his life. Every time he imagined his future, all he saw was Kate. No matter which job he imagined himself working at, whether it was still for NCIS or as the creative director of General Motors - which he, by the way, thought he would be very good at - it was always Kate he was coming home to. It was Kate he saw sitting on a swinging chair in a garden with his baby in her arms. Kate sitting by his side, in front of the fireplace with his hair that was already gray. If he couldn't have that, he would consider his life a failure and that's why no power on this planet could keep him away from that church today. And yet, he was nervous.

* * *

The whole apartment was full of people. There was Hannah and Naomi, the flower girls, dancing around the living room in their gorgeous pink dresses, and Tommy, who was getting instructions by his mother, Sharon, as to exactly when and how he had to carry the rings down the aisle. Marie, Kate's other sister-in-law, had spent the last hour doing Kate's hair while Sean tried to get the twins into their suits. Abby was already waiting to help Kate with her make-up and Kate's mother was feeding the baby. The only people missing were Kate's brothers, Pat and Cam, and Kate's father. They had left a while ago to stay with Tony.

Kate really wished Tony were here. Everything around her was so hectic and loud and she was already nervous enough without all of this. She hadn't seen Tony in 48 hours. Even though she had liked the idea in the beginning, she now started to think that the whole thing was quite hypocritical. Not sleeping in the same bed with Tony in the three nights before the wedding wouldn't wipe out the fact that she had shared a bed with him for more than a year before the wedding. But she had to admit that this whole arrangement made the prospect of the wedding night a lot more interesting. She still wanted him to be here now, though. It was their wedding day and she wanted to spend every minute of it with him.

But it was a nice thought that when Tony saw her walk down the aisle in her white dress, it would be the first time he saw her as a bride. She wanted to surprise him.

When her hair was done, Kate got up to stand in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom. She had looked at herself wearing the dress dozens of times today, but she still couldn't believe it. The dress was so beautiful! The wide skirt reached down to the floor and at first, Kate hadn't been able to stop spinning like a little girl because she loved how the skirt puffed up around her. The corset was tight fitting and laced. It was off the shoulder, with straps draped around her upper arms. The moment she had seen it in the shop she had known she had to have it. She knew Tony would love it too. She was so longing to see his face when he first laid eyes on her. And, secretly, she couldn't wait for him to help her out of it when they were alone.

"Kate, come here," Abby called. She had put a chair close to the window in the bedroom where there was the best light and was now gesturing for Kate to sit down.

When Kate was seated, Abby sighed. "You look so gorgeous!" she said. "Tony is so lucky!"

Kate smiled at her and said, "I am too."

"Aw!" Abby squealed, already close to tears. She wrapped a fresh towel around Kate's shoulders and made sure it was covering the front of her dress to protect it from the make-up.

Abby wasn't wearing her dress yet. Since Abby had wanted a black dress and Kate had insisted that black was not suitable for a wedding, they had compromised and had agreed on dark, indigo blue - plus, Abby was allowed to wear boots. It wasn't that bad. Her dress was simple, but elegant and it was long enough to cover most of the boots. It was still extraordinary, but it was Abby.

"The wedding is going to be perfect," Abby said while applying eye shadow. "You have all a woman could dream about: totally cute flower girls, your dad walking you down the aisle, and bridesmaids who love you because you didn't choose ugly dresses."

"A groom who looks stunning in a tuxedo," Kate added, making Abby grin.

"Do you think the men are already at the church?" Kate asked.

Abby checked her watch. "Not yet, it's only half past one. But they promised to be there early."

* * *

Tony arrived at the church shortly after two with Woody and Kate's father. Sean and Pat had gone back to the apartment to pick up the children. The rest of the guests would start arriving in half an hour. Kate and the women were going to come at three o'clock when everyone would already be inside. She was going to walk down the aisle with her father, all very traditional, but it meant a lot to her. She had also insisted that he didn't see the dress before the wedding and Tony was already very curious. He was sure Kate was going to look amazing.

The three men went into the church and were greeted by the priest who was going to perform the ceremony. Looking around, Tony saw that the church was beautifully decorated with flowers. Bunches of daisies were attached to the sides of the benches so that the aisle was flanked by white and yellow. Some high vases were standing near the altar, holding huge sunflowers. When it came to flowers Kate's taste was very modest. She loved flowers that grew wild on a meadow, much more than expensive orchids or roses.

There was still time, so the priest went through the ceremony with Tony again. It was going to be a traditional Catholic wedding with the priest doing most of the talking. Tony was glad that all he really had to do was say 'yes' or 'I do' loudly and clearly. He didn't think he would have the nerves for anything more eloquent than that.

When the first guests arrived, Tony and Kate's father took up their position at the entrance to greet the people who were coming. The guest list wasn't huge, only family and friends. Tony had also invited his colleagues, but Gibbs was not going to come. He had called him around noon to inform him that his presence was needed at NCIS because one of his cold cases might be in relation to a recent one and had to brief the team that was working on it. Tony wasn't particularly upset about it. He had invited Gibbs out of courtesy, but he didn't know Gibbs that well anyway. Viv and Ducky were coming, though.

As three o'clock drew closer and closer, Tony was starting to feel slightly sick. He forced himself to breathe in and out deeply while concentrating on the mental picture of Kate in her wedding dress he had made up.

At five to three, Kate's father sent Tony inside to wait at the altar. Ben smiled at the younger man and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry, Tony," he said. "I'll take her straight to you."

Tony smiled back. He was really glad that Kate's parents seemed to be so happy about the marriage of their daughter. It made him feel like he was really a part of the family. So he went down the aisle and joined Woody at the front. Then he waited.

He must have lost notion of the time because he had no idea how long it was that he waited for the doors of the church to open again. He couldn't even say if it seemed a long or a short time for him. But when the doors did open, time stopped.

Tony looked at the entrance and saw Kate standing there. The light that came in through the door fell on her from behind and made her glow golden while she walked slowly down the aisle. He stopped breathing, but he didn't even notice. All he could do was stare at Kate in that amazing dress. Her hair was done up with only some curled strands playing around her neck and shoulders. Her gaze was locked on his and there was that lovely smile on her face that he wanted to remember for the rest of his life.

After the moment when Kate's hands found his, everything was a bit blurry in Tony's memory. He remembered the priest talking solemnly to them, he remembered hearing Abby sob quietly and watching Tommy walk down the aisle with the rings, the expression on the boy's face so professional that it made a lot of people smile as he walked past them. The one thing he remembered clearly was the way Kate was looking at him the whole time. Her eyes were shining, her whole face, really. And when he put the ring on her finger, he remembered thinking that this was perhaps the most important thing he had done in his life.

When the priest said that he may now kiss the bride, the words hardly registered in Tony's mind. He would have kissed her anyway, not able to wait even one second longer, no matter if the ceremony was over or not!

Kate's hand came up to rest on Tony's shoulder as the short, soft kiss that was meant to seal their promise changed into the unspoken expression of how much they had missed each other and how happy they were.

Then they were walking down the aisle towards the doors and people were applauding along the way. Their fingers were laced and they were grinning and waving at all the people they passed. They would have loved to be alone right away, but there was still the reception - _their_ reception. Kate's father had rented a stretch limo for the two of them to take them there and it was already waiting in front of the church. But before everyone drove to the hall to celebrate, the photographer needed to take pictures. It took ages to get the whole family with all the children for one picture; then he took some of just Kate and Tony, then some in different combinations with other people.

When the photographer was finally done, Kate and Tony climbed into the limo with a last wave to the people surrounding them and a shouted "See you later!"

When Tony sat down next to Kate, the sight of her sitting on the large backseat of the limo in her white dress seemed almost surreal to him.

Kate noticed that he was staring at her and smiled brightly at him. A second later he had pulled her into his arms and was almost kissing her senseless. Kate blindly wrapped her arms around him and pressed as close to him as she could. Three damn days!

"I missed you so much," she whispered when they had stopped kissing and he was still holding her tightly in his arms. "I thought those three days would never pass."

"Tell me about it," he chuckled, carefully twirling one of her loose locks around his right index finger. "But being surprised with this dress today was worth it."

Kate beamed at him. "I knew you'd like it."

"I love it. I love you. You've never been more beautiful than you are today."

"I love you too," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair.

Kissing the side of her neck, Tony slowly worked his way up to her ear and whispered, "So I guess this is a good time to talk about that name change again."

Kate chuckled. "I might agree on a hyphenated name," she mused. "Todd-DiNozzo…Could you live with that?"

"Yes I could," Tony said, catching her lips with his.

* * *

They had chosen a small hall downtown for their reception. Since Kate and Tony asked the driver to make two extra rounds around the block so they'd have a few moments more for themselves, they arrived after most of the other guests.

Everybody was already waiting for them when they entered the hall and people started to applaud again. Abby gave the band a signal and they started to play a classic waltz.

"I guess we'll have to open the dance," Kate said, taking Tony's hand so he couldn't run away. He followed her obediently to the dance floor and once there he swept her into his arms and held her tight.

"Ready?" he grinned, but didn't wait for an answer before starting to dance with her in perfect three-four time.

When they had circled the dance floor once, other couples came to join them.

"Why are you staring at me?" Tony asked Kate, whose mouth was slightly open.

"I had no idea you could dance the waltz like this. You never wanted to do it before."

"That's true. But I never said I couldn't do it, right?" He grinned and kissed her - which, for the first time - made him stumble slightly.

Kate rolled her eyes at him, but then she laughed when she saw little Tommy dance with his cousin Hannah, who was more than five inches taller than him. Tony saw it and laughed too, while Tommy's sister Naomi tried to talk one of the four year-old twins into dancing with her.

When the waltz was over and a new song started, Kate's father came to ask his daughter for a dance. Tony let her go and politely asked her mother to dance with him. After that he had to dance with Kate's sisters-in-law, with Abby and Viv, and with a lot of Kate's friends while Kate did the same with the male guests.

When they had finally danced with everyone they needed to, they sat down at their table and the band took a break. Drinks were served and conversations flowed amongst the tables.

"I can't believe that you waited until our wedding day to show me that you can dance like this," Kate said to Tony, who grinned widely. He wanted to answer, but kept quiet when he saw Woody step onto the small stage with a filled glass in his hand.

"Uh-oh," Tony muttered.

When Woody had everyone's attention, he lifted his glass and said, "A toast! To my best friend Tony and his new wife Kate - whom I would have married if Tony hadn't been faster. Kate, I'm sorry." He made an apologetic gesture in her direction and everyone started to laugh. "Since I'm a born bachelor…" He took a moment to wink at some single women among the guests, which again caused some outbursts of laughter in the room. "…I could hardly believe it when Tony told me he was getting married. But that guy is so crazily in love that not even medicine could cure him, so I guess a ring on his finger will only do him some good." He grinned at Tony. "I'm very proud to be your best man, Tony," he said, more serious this time. "I wish you and your wife all the best. I think every person in this room knows that you are going to be very happy." He lifted his glass again and all the guests did the same.

Kate reached for Tony's hand. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her to him to kiss her, which caused applause by the nearest tables.

"I think we have some onlookers," Kate whispered, chuckling.

"Then we should give them something to look at," Tony said and kissed her again.

Before Woody left the stage, he said that the band was going to play until dinner was served, and while the band prepared for the next song, some couples already got up to walk to the dance floor. Tony gently tugged at Kate's hand. "Shall we dance?" he asked.

She nodded eagerly and followed him to the dance floor, where a slow song started to play. Tony pulled Kate close to him, his right arm slipping around her waist while his left hand held her right one close to his chest. Sighing happily, Kate rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Even though she usually disliked being the center of attention, today she didn't care about all of the people looking at them. She felt completely happy.

Tony bent his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Kate's shoulder. He smiled. Her skin always tasted like honey. At the beginning of their relationship he had repeatedly asked her what kind of lotion it was that gave this taste to her skin and he had never believed it when she said that she wasn't using anything like that. By now he had been living with her for months and he knew that it was true. Maybe he was imagining it, but he still liked to think that he was the only person who'd ever know this small detail about her.

In the past he had never carried a relationship past the point where he thought there was nothing new to find out about the girlfriend - that point usually came after one or two nights spent together. With Kate he found something new every day. Every time he looked into her eyes he thought he saw a new sparkle of amber he had never noticed before in the hazel pools. And there were still things to her smile that surprised him every time he saw it. He knew that he would find new things about her for the rest of his life. And yet at the same time he also knew that he already knew her better than anyone else in the world. It was a paradox that sometimes kept his mind occupied for hours.

They danced through several songs and only went back to their table when dinner started to be served. They sat together with Woody and Abby, Kate's parents and Tony's cousin and his wife. Ducky and Viv were sitting at the table next to theirs and they could overhear that the ME was entertaining everyone with stories from his youth. At their table it was definitely Woody who was doing most of the talking. As much as Kate had sometimes disliked him in the beginning she found that by now she had really come to like Tony's friend. He was as childish and immature as a person could be, but he was also friendly and she was sure that he had a good heart. Apart from that, it was quite obvious that she must have developed a knack for childish and immature men over the last year.

After dinner, the cake was brought in. It was a four layer chocolate cake with white and red icing - and the only thing Tony had been really interested in during the preparations. Tony and Kate cut off the first piece together; then they left it to the waiters to take care of the rest.

The band started to play again and with some people dancing and others chatting easily over their coffees, the atmosphere in the hall felt familiar and relaxed. Sitting at the table and leaning against Tony's side, Kate watched her two nieces, Hannah and Naomi, dancing together because the boys were off somewhere playing hide and seek.

Her attention was drawn back to Tony when she felt his breath stroke her ear before he whispered, "How long are we going to have to stay to be polite?" He couldn't wait to finally have her all to himself - and for a couple of days. They would spend the night at their apartment and leave for Barbados the next day. He was not planning on leaving their hotel room even once. When Kate looked at him with that special sparkle in her eyes, he knew that she was thinking the same.

"We danced with everyone, we cut the cake - what else would they need us for?" she asked.

Tony beamed and was about to stand up, pulling her with him, but Kate held him back. "Give me five minutes to say goodbye!" she laughed. She was not going to see her family again for months, so she, at least, wanted to say goodbye to all of them properly.

"Okay." Tony shrugged and went with her to thank everyone for coming.

They got lots of hugs, kisses, and best wishes from the family. Tony also talked to his cousin and they agreed that they should see each other more often. Abby and Woody assured them once again that they would take care of everything and that they really could go home - which Kate and Tony didn't need to hear twice. They hurried outside to Kate's car, which her mother and sisters had brought over. At the car they stopped and laughed because someone had painted the words 'Just married' on the rear window.

Having finally reached their floor inside their apartment building, Tony stopped Kate before she could enter the apartment. "Aren't you going to let me carry you over the threshold?" he asked.

Smiling, Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and Tony easily lifted her up in his arms. He pushed the door open with his foot and carried Kate inside, careful not to bump her head into anything. Inside the living room he let her down, but still held her in his arms.

"Haven't you had enough of dancing?" Kate laughed when he started to hum a melody and sway her gently to the rhythm.

Instead of answering, Tony kissed her and they soon forgot about dancing.

"Are you happy?" Tony asked, pressing his lips to her temple.

"Yes," Kate whispered.

Tony smiled. Kate being happy was all he ever wanted.

"Listen," he whispered into her ear. "I've been thinking about something."

"About what?" she asked curiously.

"I thought that when we are back from Barbados, we should talk to a realtor. Look at some houses; with a garden and a terrace…you know?"

Kate's arms tightened around his back and when she looked up at him, he saw that her eyes were sparkling like those of a little child on Christmas morning.

"Would you like that?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, I'd like that," she said, lifting her hands to his face. With the tips of her fingers she traced along the outlines of his face, looking at him with an intensity that made his skin tingle.

It was very quiet in the apartment, a stark contrast to the eventful day they'd had. Now they had time to think back on the things that had been said and done, the many special moments they'd shared. At the same time they were thinking forward to the house they'd soon be living in and all the days and years to come. And they both realized that the slight fear of the unknown, that thinking about the future often brought along, didn't come today.

But they didn't spend a long time thinking about the past or the future because tonight, the present was claiming all their attention. When Kate looked up at Tony and grinned wickedly, he knew that she had some very interesting things in mind.

"You know," she said, her face a picture of innocence. "…I really love this dress very much, but it is definitely very difficult to put it on and take it off. I always need someone to help me with it."

"Do you?" Tony asked. "It's a good thing you now have a husband at home who can help you with such things."

Kate smiled brightly at him. "Oh, Tony, what would I do without you?"


	19. The Risks We Take

_A/N: To all my dear reviewers, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the wedding. I got several reviews asking for the honeymoon and I hope you aren't disappointing that I did not write a chapter about it. Just use your own imagination ;) Let's get on with the story now._

_Beta: AliasCSYNYFriendsER improves this story so much!_

**Chapter 19**

Behind the red and orange sea of clouds outside the window, the sun was setting. The clouds were thick and massive, giving the impression that it would be possible to walk over them, right into the blindingly beautiful sunset.

Kate loved to fly at this time of the day, the turquoise sky above her while she knew that hundreds of feet below her the weather was dull and rainy. For all she knew it might even be snowing back in DC. They were going to land in an hour after their almost nine hour trip from Europe. They had been gone for an entire week and she was longing to get back home to the house they had moved into three months ago and to spend the evening with Tony. She couldn't even remember the last time they had spent a relaxed evening together. Before she had left for Europe, Tony had done a lot of overtime and they had hardly ever really seen each other at home. They hadn't even celebrated Thanksgiving.

The new job was exactly like Kate had imagined it. There was a lot of traveling involved and the hours were terrible, but she loved it. It was a job that brought a lot of respect and authority and knowing that she was good at what she was doing made her feel proud in a way she had never felt before.

But it was hard to be gone so much. Tony was very tolerant when it came to her work and she was extremely thankful for that, but sometimes she just wished he didn't have to be tolerant and that she could be with him every day. She was really glad she was wearing his ring on her finger. It was a reminder that he was at home waiting for her and thinking of her just as much as she was thinking of him. She was proud that with this ring she could show to everyone that there was someone she belonged to.

While staring out the window, Kate was sitting on one of two empty chairs in the back of the cabin. When she heard steps approaching, she looked up and saw Major Tim Kerry walk towards her, carrying the football in one hand while the other was holding the handles of two mugs. Smiling at her, he sat down next to her and handed Kate one of the mugs. She smiled when she saw that there was tea in it. Yesterday during a conversation she had mentioned that she was drinking far too much coffee at the moment and he had obviously remembered.

"Thank you," she said, blowing on the hot liquid.

"You're welcome." He looked past her out the window where the light was fading rapidly now. The first stars had already appeared. "Looks like it's going to rain in DC," he said.

Kate nodded. "My first free weekend in almost a month - of course it's raining." But, to be honest, she hadn't planned on going out very much. She and Tony would stay at home in their amazingly large living room or their cozy bedroom and only enjoy each other's company.

"We are going to touch down in forty minutes," Tim said. "Everything's right on schedule. The next shift is already waiting at the airport."

"That's good," Kate sighed. "I'm very tired." She hadn't gotten very much sleep during the last week. She'd had to work late and when she had finally been back in her hotel room, it had always taken her ages to switch from the extremely alert mode she had to be in during the day into a more relaxed state that would allow her to sleep. On two nights she had even been on duty.

"Do you have plans for the weekend?" Kate asked.

Major Kerry was new on the team on Air Force One, but Kate had developed an immediate liking for the man. He was friendly and a very open person with whom it was easy to talk. They had been talking a lot during their long stay in Europe.

"Tomorrow night I'm meeting an old friend from the academy who's in town," Tim answered. "I also wanted to make a short trip into the mountains, but if the weather is bad, I guess I'll stay at home. You?"

"No plans. Just to spend as much time as possible with my husband." Kate still loved the sound of that word - a lot. She wondered how long it would take her to get used to it and not think of it as something special any more - she hoped it would never happen.

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Tim said, smiling at her and Kate smiled back.

They talked until they had to fasten their seatbelts for the landing and a short time later they had touched down in Andrews. Kate and the rest of the Secret Service team accompanied the President to his waiting car where the new shift took over. As soon as the limousine had left, Kate's job was done. She was standing in the light, but extremely cold, drizzle and was thinking only one thing: she wanted back to Barbados.

"Do you need a ride home?" Tim asked, bringing her out of her reverie.

Kate shook her head. "Tony is picking me up." Through the drizzle they walked over to the SUV that was waiting for them to take them to the security gate and climbed in. Most of them had left their cars in the small parking lot in front of the gate and that's where the SUV took them.

Kate spotted Tony's mustang as soon as she got out of the SUV and quickly said goodbye to her colleagues. As she came closer, she saw Tony get out of the car and wave at her. She waved back, but then she threw all mature behavior out the window and started to run towards him. Tony caught her securely when she jumped into his waiting arms.

Kate clung to him, smiling happily, enjoying the light feeling in her chest she only got when she saw Tony again after a separation of several days. It was as if a weight she hadn't even known was there suddenly disappeared.

While they were kissing, the rain increased, but they didn't notice. When they pulled out of the kiss, they laughed when they noticed they were drenched from the rain.

"There's nothing like the first kiss of the week," Tony said, using a hand to wipe the water off Kate's forehead. "Come on now, let's get you home."

Inside the car, the rain was drumming so loudly onto the roof that it was almost impossible to talk. So they drove home in silence, Tony's hand wandering over to Kate's knee every now and then or their hands touching.

Their little house lay in a quiet suburban area just outside the busier areas of DC. It had two floors and a small garden in the front. It was exactly the house Kate had always imagined for them and she'd fallen in love with it at first sight. It took them longer to get to work now, but they agreed that this house was worth it.

They hung up their wet coats in the hall and slipped out of their dripping shoes before moving on to the living room, where they fell onto the couch. Kate curled up to Tony's side and he wrapped an arm around her.

"You feel cold," he noted, brushing a hand over her cheek.

"You too." Kate smiled. "It helps to think of the sun and the beach…"

"…in Barbados," Tony completed her sentence. "The thought of you in a bikini definitely makes me warmer."

Kate grinned. "I know another thing that would definitely make us warmer," she said and brought her lips close to his ear to whisper: "A bath."

"That's a genius idea!" Tony got up and pulled her with him, already steering towards the stairs.

Smiling, Kate followed him upstairs, where Tony went straight into the bathroom to turn on the water while Kate went into the bedroom to hang up her suit jacket and pants. When she came into the bathroom, Tony was already sitting in the tub where he could enjoy the sight of Kate entering because she hadn't bothered to put on her robe.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Tony grinned broadly and reached out to pull her into the water. Sighing happily, Kate settled down and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water and Tony's arms surrounding her.

"I'm glad I'm back home," she whispered.

"Did you miss me?" Tony asked, playing with her wet hair, which he loved to do.

"A bit," Kate teased him and shrieked when the fingers of his right hand played across her ribs to tickle her. "Okay, okay!" she giggled. "I missed you very much – I thought I'd go crazy."

"That's better," Tony said and stopped tickling her; instead he wrapped his arm around her body and kissed the side of her neck. "I missed you, too."

Kate smiled and contentedly closed her eyes.

* * *

A cell phone ringing woke Kate from the few hours of sleep she had actually gotten that night. A look at the digital numbers of the alarm clock told her that it was 6:30 in the morning.

"Tony?" she muttered. "'s that your phone or mine?"

"Only five more minutes," he grunted, turning away from her and pulling the duvet over his head.

Kate sighed and tried to make out the source of the disturbance, finally locating the blinking cell phone lying on the nightstand on her side of the bed. She reached for it and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she answered it.

"Who's there?" a harsh voice asked her.

"What? Who's there?" Kate was still not completely awake, but she was quite sure that she didn't know the voice of the man on the other end of the line.

"Is Tony there?" the voice now asked. "It's his boss."

Now Kate realized her mistake. "Sorry, I must have the wrong phone," she said. "Hang on, just a second."

She turned to face Tony and tried to shake him awake. "Tony, wake up," she hissed. "It's your boss."

"Wha…?" Tony asked groggily.

"Here." Kate shoved the phone into his hand and let her head fall back onto the pillow.

"Hello?" Tony asked into the phone. "Yes, boss. But it's a Saturday morning, boss…you never told me…no…oh, right, I must have forgotten…No, I'm not hung-over." Tony sighed deeply. "Yes, I'm on my way," he said and clicked the phone shut.

"Please don't tell me that you have to work," Kate moaned, running a hand over her face.

"I'm sorry. Our team is on call. I must have forgotten."

"So you have to go?"

"I'm afraid I do."

Kate felt the mattress dip under her when Tony shifted closer and then she felt his arm around her waist and his breath on her face. The kiss he gave her was warm, loving, and Kate automatically brought a hand up to the nape of his neck. But Tony pulled back.

"I have to go," he whispered. "You go back to sleep. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Couldn't you have told him you are sick?" she asked.

"Sick when a call comes in on a Saturday morning? What a coincidence."

"This is not fair," Kate complained. "We haven't had time alone together in ages!"

"I know, Kate, and I'm sorry. But your job is not the only important one - mine is important to me too. And I have to go now or Gibbs will fire me."

Tony climbed out of bed and left the bedroom. Five minutes later he came back to get dressed, but Kate pretended she already fell back asleep. She knew that it was stupid to be sulking; Tony was right when he said that usually it was her job that interfered with their plans. She couldn't be angry with him now because he had to work. But she was also disappointed and Tony could have told her that he was on call this weekend. So she kept pretending to be asleep.

Tony met Viv and Gibbs at the bank of the Potomac, where a dead marine had been found floating in the water. The young man had been killed with a shot to the head. He had no wallet and only his dog tags.

When Ducky had cleared the body and taken it with him to perform an autopsy, the team searched the surroundings, but it was no use. They had to find the primary crime scene, where the marine had been shot. They depended on Ducky's findings to find out where the body had been thrown into the water.

Abby was out of town this weekend for a forensic conference in New York and her lab was run by a timid young man named Charlie. He was so intimidated by Gibbs that Tony feared the boy would cry one of these days. But when Gibbs finally let him work, he was doing a fantastic job - not like Abby, of course - but he was definitely the best they could get while she was gone.

They worked on the background of the young marine for hours, finding nothing in particular until that afternoon: Viv came up with a name. In military academy, their victim had been the roommate of a man named Walter Montgomery. Montgomery had been dishonorably discharged from the Navy because he had been involved with a band of smugglers. Said man owned a warehouse at the bank of the Potomac, not far from where the body had been found.

It only took them twenty minutes to get a search warrant and half an hour later they were taking position outside the warehouse. Gibbs and Tony went in first, followed by Viv and the marines they had gotten as a backup. While the marines searched the ground floor, Tony and Gibbs went up the stairs at the back of the warehouse to another floor. Gibbs reached the top of the stairs first and carefully went around a large wooden box that blocked their view. The attacker jumped at him so quickly that Gibbs didn't have a chance to react: he was shoved backwards and hit a stack of empty cartons that tumbled down around him. Tony aimed his gun, but before he could even shout "Freeze!" the attacker tackled him. He took a step back to regain his balance, but underestimated how close to the stairs he was standing. He stepped into empty space, fell back and crashed down the stairs. He tried to hold on to something, but there was nothing there. He felt a sharp pain in his left arm and then in his ribs. Then his head collided with something solid and suddenly everything turned black.

* * *

Kate slept until ten a.m. and then stayed in bed for another half hour because she wasn't particularly interested in getting up. But then she went into the bathroom to take a shower and felt a lot better afterwards. She made herself coffee and toast, eating it while reading the morning paper.

She was already feeling sorry for having been angry with Tony. It wasn't his fault that he had to work and he had been more than patient with her whenever she'd had to work late or get up early to catch a plane. She would tell him that she was sorry when he called her as he had promised.

But now she had a full day in front of her and decided to finally unpack the last boxes that were still standing in the cellar. She carried them into the living room and sat on the floor, taking out one item after the other, unwrapping it and then deciding where she wanted to put it. There were a lot of pictures she had almost forgotten she had as well as some mugs and glasses she had been looking for.

She worked until two p.m. before she decided that she didn't want to spend the entire day alone. But Abby was out of town and her friend Hannah had her parents visiting from out of town. Who could she call?

Suddenly she had an idea and dialed a number on her cell phone.

Half an hour later they met in a small café in town. Kate wasn't used to seeing Major Kerry without his uniform and hardly recognized him at first.

"So you decided not to go hiking," Kate concluded when she sat down opposite him.

Tim smiled at her. "I thought I'd just spend some time at home - since that's the place where I seem to spend the least time. But I was surprised that you called. I thought you had plans."

"Yeah, but Tony has to work. He was called in early this morning."

"I'm sorry."

Kate sighed. "I guess with two federal agents as a married couple this is what you have to expect. But I hope you don't find it strange that I called you. I just thought that since we're colleagues and you said yesterday that you didn't have plans…"

"I don't find it strange," Tim said. "Not at all. Why wouldn't two colleagues have coffee together?"

Kate smiled at him and was glad that he didn't think she was crazy or something. To start a conversation, she asked about the place Tim had wanted to go to this weekend and he told her about a charming little cabin in the middle of nowhere. It reminded Kate of the small house near a lake in Indiana where her family had sometimes spent the holidays and described the place to him.

They were just about to order a second round of coffee when Kate's cell phone rang.

"That must be Tony. He said he'd call later," she explained while fishing her cell phone out of her purse. But she didn't recognize the caller ID. "Todd," she answered it.

"Is this Mrs. Todd-DiNozzo?" an unknown female voice asked.

"Yes?"

"George Washington University Hospital, Ma'am. I'm sorry, but your husband was brought here today after an accident."

"What?" Kate exclaimed, almost dropping the phone. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you any details over the phone. Is it possible for you to come here?"

"Yes, of course, but…is Tony okay?"

"Your husband has just been brought in, Ma'am. I'm sorry, but I don't have any more information. If you'd just come over…"

"I'm on my way," Kate said, snapping her phone shut with shaking fingers.

Tim was watching her worriedly. "Is everything okay, Kate?"

"Tony's in the hospital," Kate said, still not wanting to believe it. "They wouldn't tell me what happened, they only mentioned something about an accident. I have to get there immediately." She was already standing up from the table.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," Tim said, tossing a couple of bills on the table. "You shouldn't drive with your mind elsewhere."

"Okay, thank you," Kate mumbled, leaving the café together with him.

They took her car but Tim drove. Kate was glad she didn't have to drive now because she would have definitely caused an accident. All the time she was urging Tim to go faster, even though he was already bypassing speed limits. Why had that woman on the phone not told her anything about Tony's condition? For all she knew he could have just sprained an ankle, but there was the possibility that something far worse had happened.

"If it wasn't something bad, he would have called me himself, wouldn't he?" Kate asked. Tony would have known that a call from the hospital would scare her. He would have definitely called her himself. "God!" she moaned, pressing her fists to her temples.

"We're almost there, Kate, don't worry. I'm sure he's okay."

As soon as Tim had parked the car, Kate jumped out and ran towards the entry of the emergency room. By the time he caught up with her, she was already shouting at a nurse to tell her where Tony was. The nurse led her to the nurses' station where another nurse was sitting.

"Ten minutes ago I got a call telling me that my husband is here," Kate told her. "His name is Anthony DiNozzo. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Kate, look!" Tim placed a hand on Kate's shoulder and pointed down the corridor. There she spotted Viv, who was coming towards them, waving her hand and calling Kate's name. She hadn't even heard her.

Kate ran towards Tony's colleague and grabbed the other woman by the shoulders as soon as she reached her. "Viv, what happened? Is Tony okay?"

"Yes, Kate, he's okay. He's awake and responding now; the doctors say there's no need to worry."

"Awake? What happened?"

"Didn't they tell you?"

"They didn't tell me anything!" Kate shouted, losing patience.

Viv pulled her into a hug and held her tight for a few seconds. "Tony's okay," she whispered to her. "He was attacked by a suspect and fell down a flight of stairs. He was knocked unconscious, that's why everybody was worried at first. But it's only a concussion."

"Thank God," Kate sighed. "Can I see him? Where is he?"

"Come on, I'll show you to his room. He's already asking for you."

Kate followed Viv down the corridor and listened to the other woman's explanations:

"The concussion is why he lost consciousness. But he also broke his left arm and a rib."

"Who did this?" Kate wanted to know.

"A suspect in the case we're working on. We surprised him inside a warehouse and he tried to get out. He's in interrogation with Gibbs now - poor guy," Viv said sarcastically.

They finally reached Tony's room and Viv waited at the door with Major Kerry while Kate entered. Tony was lying in a hospital bed. His left arm was in a cast up to the elbow and there was a bandage around his chest. She could also see a cut on the left side of his forehead, near the hairline, that had already been stitched. His complexion was so gray it was scary.

Kate reached the bed and placed a hand on his left arm, above the cast. Tony immediately opened his eyes and when he saw her, he smiled. Kate placed her hands on the sides of his face and leaned down to press a chaste kiss to his lips. She lingered there for a moment, her eyes still closed, feeling his breath on her lips. She could feel tears behind her lids.

"You scared the hell out of me," she whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kate," he said.

Kate smiled at him, gently stroking his cheeks. "You're so pale," she said. "Are you in pain?"

"Don't worry, they gave me something. It's just my head that's still hurting, but they say that's normal."

"Okay," Kate whispered, kissing him again.

"Yeah, that's better," he sighed, grinning.

When Kate saw him grin, she knew without a doubt that he was okay. Shaking her head, she sat on the side of the bed and took his hand in hers. When they heard Viv clear her throat near the door, they both looked at her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Viv said. "But Gibbs told me to get back to the office as soon as possible. Can I tell him that you're okay, Tony?"

"Sure. But don't forget to add that I'm in pain or he'll want me to come back to work tomorrow."

Viv smiled at him before waving at them and leaving.

"I'm also going to leave now," Tim said. "Unless you need anything?"

Kate smiled at him, shaking her head. "Thank you very much, Tim," she said. "But how are you going to get back to your car?"

"I'll just take a cab or walk, don't worry."

"But I'll pay for that cab," Kate said. "No arguing about that."

Tim merely lifted his hands in a defeated gesture before smiling at them and leaving.

Kate directed her attention back at Tony, reaching out a hand to stroke his hair.

"Who was that?" Tony wanted to know, a bit confused why his wife had been with a complete stranger.

"That was Major Kerry, the man who carries the football on Air Force One."

"Why was he here?"

"Because I was with him when I got the call from the hospital. We were having coffee together and he offered to drive me here because I was too shaken up. You really scared me today, you know?"

Tony smiled at her, but then he put on a pained expression. "You know, Kate, it still hurts a little," he said. "It would really help if you'd kiss it better."

Kate leaned down, careful to put her hands on the pillow and not on his bandaged chest. "Where does it hurt?" she whispered.

"Everywhere." He grinned again.

Kate kissed him on the lips again, endlessly thankful that he wasn't badly hurt. That suspect could have shot him or he could have broken his neck falling. She hoped Gibbs was really giving that bastard a hard time in interrogation.

"See, I told you it was a bad idea to go to work today," she said.

"Yeah…but if I had really called in sick and Gibbs had found out that I was only faking, he would have done more terrible things to me."

Kate rolled her eyes because he was always exaggerating everything, but at the same time she ran a hand through his hair. "What do the doctors say?" she wanted to know. "Do you have to stay here?"

"He said if I have someone to watch over me tonight, I can go home." He winked at her. "Looks like we'll be getting our free weekend together."

"Having you thrown down a flight of stairs is not the way I wanted it to happen, though," Kate sighed.

"It needs more than a couple of stairs to kill me."

Kate glared at him. "Don't make jokes about it! That's not funny! It could have really ended badly."

"I know," Tony said. "I'm sorry." He lifted his uninjured hand to her face and stroked her cheek. Kate leaned down and kissed him again, taking her time. Then she slowly got off the bed.

"I'm going to see if I can get you your release papers," she explained. "I'll be right back."

Outside in the corridor she headed for the nurses' station, but after only a couple of steps she had to stop and take a deep breath. Leaning against a wall, she closed her eyes for a second and tried to hold back the tears that were suddenly welling up inside of her. They had been lucky today and the thought of what could have been made her want to cry. She knew that she and Tony had dangerous jobs and that something could happen to one of them every day – she just hated being reminded of it.

But Tony was okay and that was all that really counted. Now she'd try to get him home as soon as possible and make up for her moody behavior earlier that day.

* * *

Finally at home, Kate helped Tony get comfortable on the couch, which wasn't easy with his broken arm and rib, and his hurting head. Each time Tony winced, Kate felt a stab of pain herself. Giving up trying to prop his head and shoulders up on a pillow, Kate slipped onto the couch behind Tony, placed a large pillow across her lap and made Tony lie his head down on it.

"Better?" she asked, carefully running her fingers through his hair. "Am I hurting you?"

"No," he said, sighing softly. "That feels good."

Kate was relieved and continued stroking his hair.

"Tell me something," Tony demanded after a couple of minutes without opening his eyes.

"What?" Kate asked amusedly. "A fairy tale?"

"No. What did you do today?"

Kate smiled. "I slept in – after your cell phone woke me at half past six. I had breakfast, showered, and unpacked some of the boxes that were still in the cellar. Oh, I found your Magnum PI coffee mug."

"Really?"

Kate suppressed a grin. Tony had been quite upset about that mug going missing. She had told him that it must be in one of the boxes and that he could unpack them, but he hadn't wanted to.

"And then?" he wanted to know.

"Then I didn't feel like staying at home and I called Tim Kerry to meet for a coffee."

"Why didn't you call one of your friends?"

"He is one of my friends," Kate replied. "I like him. And I think it's nice to have someone to talk to at work."

"Sure," Tony muttered, still not opening his eyes.

Kate studied his face and couldn't believe it. "Tony, are you jealous?" she asked.

Now Tony opened his eyes and gave her a strange look. "Jealous?" he repeated. "No, certainly not." With an amused snort he shut his eyes again.

"Yes, you are!" Kate insisted, grinning broadly. "You, my dear, are jealous!"

Kate found this extremely funny. Tony had never been the jealous type and the silent agreement of look-but-don't-touch was working well between them. It was almost sweet that he felt threatened by Major Kerry now.

"Tony," Kate said softly, her voice coaxing him to open his eyes again. When he did look at her, she leaned down and kissed him on the lips. "You know that you don't have to be jealous, don't you?" she asked. "The relationship between Tim and me is the same as between you and Viv. I'm not one bit interested in him."

"He's good-looking," Tony stated.

"Not as good-looking as you," Kate replied.

At that, Tony grinned. "Good answer," he said.

Kate chuckled and kissed him again.

"Is it okay now?" she asked.

"Yes," Tony muttered reluctantly. After a moment, his face lit up with a new thought. "Maybe we should introduce him to Viv, you know? I think she could definitely do with a little more fun in her life."

Sighing, Kate rolled her eyes. Even with a concussion and some broken bones Tony didn't change.

* * *

_I would so love a review!_


	20. Yankee White Part 1

_A/N: So here it is, Yankee White, part one of two. But it doesn't mean this is the end of my story. Personally I think that some season 1 and 2 episodes really need to be rewritten. _

_Thanks to my reviewers, and, as always, thanks to Mandi who is doing such a great job as a beta!_

**Chapter 20: Yankee White, Part 1**

It was one p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day with mild temperatures, sunshine and singing birds. It was perfect for all kinds of activities: walks in the park, picnics, or garden work. But Tony was spending the day at the office. There wasn't even any work to do. They didn't even have a case and Gibbs wasn't even here! But Tony had come in at eight o'clock this morning and he was determined to stay here all day because he didn't want to go home. At home he would have to pick up the shards from the glass vase that Kate had thrown at him yesterday. He would have to look at the empty space in their closet where Kate's suitcase normally was.

Okay, she hadn't packed her suitcase because she had wanted to leave him – she would have left town today anyway – but it hadn't been planned for her to leave the house before this morning. But she had stormed out around 10 p.m. yesterday and he hadn't heard from her since.

The argument was replaying in Tony's mind over and over again. What he had said, what she'd said; what he'd accused her of, what she'd called him. Then the flying vase, which had missed him only by inches, and Kate's shocked expression. One minute later she had taken her suitcase and had left the house. He didn't know where she had spent the night - maybe at Abby's or at a hotel. This morning she was scheduled to accompany the president to LA and she wasn't going to be back before Monday. He didn't think he could survive until Monday. Even though he was still fuming and didn't want to talk to her just yet, it was difficult for him to accept that she was simply gone. In a way, she had really left him – if only for a couple of days – and he hated that she had gained this small victory over him. She had no right to be the one who walked out on him. She'd only done it because she wanted to show him that she wasn't willing to talk about the subject any more – and that was unfair! She was treating him as if he was the one acting stupid and imagining things – and okay, maybe he was – but she had no right to treat him like a little kid by just ignoring him.

Noticing that for the last half hour he had been shredding the notepad on his desk to pieces, Tony swept the remains into the trashcan and stood up to walk over to the window. He stared out over the navy yard and tried to get a grip on his anger, but he couldn't. It had been boiling for too long. In the beginning it had merely been a slight sense of uneasiness when Kate had gone to have coffee with that guy, her colleague, or when she had talked about him at home. That had lasted for a couple of months. Then there had been that night in February when Kate had attended that charity ball thing and Tony hadn't been able to attend because he'd had to work late. He had been home before her that night and had watched through the window when Major Kerry had brought her home in his car. They had spent half an hour inside the parked car, not knowing that Tony was watching them from the dark living room. He had seen them and knew that they hadn't done anything except talk and laugh a lot; but that night, the real anger had started to boil in him and he hadn't been able to get rid of it since.

He had avoided talking about it to Kate for a very long time because he trusted her, he really did. But some months ago he had exploded for the first time. He had demanded that she tell him what kind of relationship there was between her and Tim Kerry. She had told him that he was being ridiculous and that there was no need to be jealous. That's the same thing she told him yesterday. But Tony was sick of hearing it. Kate was spending more time with that guy than with Tony and that alone was reason enough to be jealous. Kerry simply didn't have a right to meet Kate so often. He didn't! She was married.

Tony didn't believe Kate was cheating on him, he hadn't believed that for one second and he still didn't, but he couldn't stand the thought that she might enjoy her time with Kerry more than her time with him. That's why he'd freaked out again yesterday. Kate telling him that there was nothing between Tim and her, and that she simply enjoyed his company had only made things worse. He didn't want her to enjoy _Tim's_ company!

Tony had really shouted at Kate yesterday. It was the only time he remembered that he had gotten so loud. He had just been so angry and it had hurt so much to still hear her talk about that man that he had simply snapped. He had wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she promised to stay away from that guy. But he hadn't touched her. Feeling helpless because Kate didn't understand how important it was to him, he had started accusing her of things that he knew weren't true. He had said that their marriage wasn't important to her anymore and that she was ruining everything. That was when she had started to cry, but with anger. She had shouted at him and had accused him of wanting to start arguments. He didn't remember what he'd said to finally make her throw that vase and maybe it was a good thing he didn't.

Kate had obviously been shocked that the vase had gotten so close to him. He could tell that she hadn't meant to hit him, but the gesture alone was enough.

And then she'd been gone, leaving Tony behind. All night long he had prayed that she hadn't gone to see Tim Kerry – because he would have been the one to chase her into his arms.

He had also spent hours trying to figure out what he should have really said to her. He wasn't accusing her of sleeping with another man – that was just unthinkable with Kate. All he had been trying to say was that her friendship with that man was killing him – and damn him, but he couldn't give her a reasonable explanation as to why. But Kate wanted that explanation and she wasn't willing to listen to him otherwise.

Tony leaned his head against the warm glass of the window. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He needed to talk to Kate, but there wasn't anything he could tell her. And there was one question in particular, one that she had asked him yesterday, that he still couldn't answer. She had asked – already very angry – what he would do if she didn't stop seeing Major Kerry outside of work. Tony hadn't answered, but had been thinking about it ever since. What would he do?

His desk phone saved him from having to find an answer. He walked over to his desk to answer the phone – and couldn't believe the information he received. The navy officer carrying the football on Air Force One had died. At first, Tony was too surprised to even react and he just listened to the explanations given to him. But then the name of the dead officer was mentioned and Tony thought he had misheard.

"Commander Ray Trapp?" he repeated.

When he had ended the call, he remained sitting motionlessly behind his desk. He was trying to find out whether he was disappointed or not that the name he had been told had not been that of Major Tim Kerry. What kind of a person was he to even consider being happy about the news of someone's death?

What should he do now? Call Kate? Call Gibbs? Then he decided to first book a flight and then call Gibbs – because if he inversed the order, Gibbs would tell him off for not having booked the flight yet. He didn't have to call Viv. She had left NCIS three weeks ago and Gibbs hadn't found a replacement for her yet. So it would only be Gibbs and him.

Their flight left at three p.m. so, after informing Ducky, Tony left straight for the airport. He still hadn't called Kate. What a stupid joke of fate was this anyway, to let a navy commander die on AFO precisely one day after the biggest argument Tony and Kate had ever had? They'd be forced to work together on this. And Tony had a feeling that Gibbs wouldn't be pleased to find out that Tony's wife was one of the Secret Service Agents on Air Force One. He would definitely think that it would complicate matters – and with the way things were between them at the moment he might even be right. So maybe Tony shouldn't mention Kate to Gibbs until it was absolutely necessary. Kate and Gibbs had never met – maybe they could get this over with without Gibbs finding out. Okay, the chance of that happening wasn't much bigger than that of a snowball in hell, but Tony would try it anyway. If Gibbs found out, Tony could just tell him that he had wanted to act professionally about this.

After some problems with their baggage at the airport and a very unpleasant flight they reached the airport in Wichita, Kansas, after it was already dark. They knew the FBI was already there and that they would have to fight if they wanted to head the investigation. But they already had a plan – Ducky had come up with it. He was going to make the FBI and Secret Service believe that he was the local M.E. to win them some time to figure out how to get the other federal agents off the plane.

While Gibbs was on the phone with Director Morrow, Tony had a chance to talk to Ducky alone.

"Listen, Ducky, there's a small problem, here," Tony said.

"What might this problem be?"

"Kate might be on this plane. I don't know if she stayed here or if she got on the backup bird with the President, but if she's here…"

"…she'll know that we're NCIS."

"Exactly," Tony sighed. "But I'd say we just go on as planned. Kate is clever; she'll play along and we'll get rid of the FBI."

"Does Gibbs know about that?"

Suddenly Tony seemed to find the toes of his shoes very interesting because he stared at them as if the answer to some cosmic question was written on them.

"Don't worry, my dear boy," Ducky said. "I guess it doesn't make a difference whether Gibbs knows about it or not. I won't give anything away."

"Thank you, Ducky."

Minutes later, Gibbs was with them and they boarded the plane.

The moment Tony stepped through the door, he saw Kate. She was standing next to a man, who was obviously FBI, over the dead body in question. They were both arguing with a man who had 'Coroner' written on his jacket.

When Kate spotted Tony, her eyes widened in surprise, then her brows furrowed at the realization that another federal agency had just come into play. Tony managed to send her a meaningful look and nodded towards the FBI agent and hoped that Kate understood.

"Hello, Ducky," the coroner greeted his friend.

They shook hands. "How'd you like those steaks I air-expressed you?" Ducky asked.

Tony saw that the FBI agent leaned towards Kate and muttered: "He air-expressed him steaks?"

Tony flinched and thought that their plan had already failed, but Kate saved the situation. "It's a big state," she said. "Look how long it took him to get here."

The other agent obviously bought it because he didn't ask any more questions.

"Agent Fornell here is FBI, Agent Todd, Secret Service, Ducky," the coroner introduced. "They're fighting over this body like two hounds over a T-bone."

"Well, it's our T-bone for the moment," Ducky stated.

Gibbs looked around and muttered, "All these LEOs are contaminating a potential crime scene."

"My assistant's right," Ducky nodded and Tony stared at him. The M.E. was obviously enjoying this game very much. "Everyone who boarded in Wichita will have to evacuate the plane," Ducky ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere," Fornell objected.

"I flew in on it," Kate said and Tony could hear in her voice how determined she was not to give in.

"Very well. You two can stay, but everyone else must deplane."

The coroner seemed glad to finally get rid off all those people and quickly shooed them out of the plane.

Ducky started to examine the body and asked Kate questions about what had happened exactly. She explained everything, but kept throwing warning glances at him and Tony. Tony understood that she wanted to get rid of the FBI, but didn't want to leave the investigation to the NCIS either. And he was the one who was going to be blamed later if it went wrong.

Ducky soon said that the body could be released. "They can leave with the body as long as they sign the releases," he said in the direction of Kate and Fornell.

"Why the hell didn't you say that?" Fornell immediately blamed the coroner.

"Couldn't. Like I said, it's the M.E.'s decision. Release forms are in my car."

"Let's go," Fornell said, eager to get things going. "We can work out jurisdiction with Washington on the flight to Andrews," he said to Kate.

They left the plane, followed by the coroner, who stopped to ask Ducky about the soft-shell crabs he was expecting from him. Tony noticed that Kate listened to them before following Fornell outside.

Gibbs immediately went into action.

"Tony, go on. Show the pilot your credentials and get us the hell out of here."

Oh no! Tony thought. If they left Kate behind, she would never forgive him. But what was he supposed to do? Gibbs wasn't likely to have pity for him even if he told him the truth now. Tony had to do what his boss was asking from him, so he hurried towards the door in the front.

"Hey!" Gibbs called him back. "Cockpit's on the top deck."

Damn! Tony thought. Aloud he said, "I knew that," and hurried up the stairs.

Tony had been gone for twenty seconds when Kate came back on the plane. Fornell was outside now and she was happy to have gotten rid off him, at least for the moment, but now there was still the problem of how to get rid of NCIS too. Because she wasn't going to let this investigation be taken from her!

"The Secret Service is going to lead this investigation," she said, on entering the plane. "There's no way I'm letting NCIS take over."

Gibbs stared at her and Kate suddenly understood why Tony was so scared of the man – but she definitely wasn't.

"Why do you think we're NCIS?" he asked.

"First, you're definitely not acting like the M.E.'s assistant. Second, there's not a soft-shell crab within a thousand miles and third, there's a dead naval officer lying on the floor between us!"

She almost thought she saw Gibbs crack a little smile then before he showed her his badge.

"We flew down here from Washington to take over the investigation," he said. "Because I do believe this is a dead naval officer."

"Who died on Air Force One after having lunch with the President who is my job to protect."

"Okay, we can share jurisdiction," Gibbs said and Kate wondered why he was suddenly giving in. But then he added: "You can be on my team."

"Your team?" Kate echoed. "Why should you head the investigation?"

"You ever worked a crime scene, Agent Todd?" he asked coolly.

"I'm a Secret Service agent."

"I thought not."

"Hey, don't dismiss me like that, okay? I earned my jock strap!"

"Yeah?" Gibbs now stepped so close to her that there were only some inches left between their bodies. Kate didn't draw back. "Does it ever give you that empty feeling?" Gibbs asked.

"What?"

"Your jock strap."

Kate glared at him. "No. Like some species of frogs, I grow what I need." The words had just come to her and tumbled out of her mouth. But when she saw that Gibbs was obviously impressed with her now, she was content.

Before Tony came back down the stairs he thought about the right words to use. He mustn't use Kate's name and he had to sound as if he was talking about any other woman.

"Gibbs, the pilot won't take off till the Secret Service chick gives us her..."

And then he saw Kate standing behind Gibbs.

"…thumbs up," he completed his sentence. Oh good, she was back on the plane! Oh no, she'd just heard him call her a secret service chick!

Kate decided not to pay attention to Tony. She would have to deal with him later anyway. She concentrated on Gibbs, who now wanted to make her leave again. Finally she gave in and agreed to work on his team – under his command. But only because she didn't want to delay them further by having to shoot him.

Tony shut the door right in front of Fornell's nose and the plane started to roll. They sat down and fastened their seatbelts for take off. Kate was sitting next to Tony, who was sitting next to Gibbs. He obviously hadn't told his boss that she was his wife and she couldn't believe that it was working so far. Shouldn't Gibbs at least know that Tony's wife was with the Secret Service? He would certainly have asked him about her. It was really strange.

But Kate had other things to worry about right now: the dead navy officer. At least, that was what she should be worrying about. But she couldn't seem to get her mind off Tony sitting next to her. The argument they'd had the night before had been terrible. She had cried the whole night. She couldn't believe what Tony had accused her of – and she couldn't believe that she hadn't done anything to convince him of the truth. She had been so pissed that she hadn't even wanted to explain herself. No matter what she said, he didn't believe her anyway. But some of the things he'd said had really hit her hard. If he really believed only half of what he'd said, they had a serious problem.

When they had reached traveling height, Gibbs ordered Tony to start sketching and then left to talk to the director of NCIS. Ducky went back to examining the dead body while Tony got his sketchpad and a pencil out of his bag. He went into the corridor leading to the President's office and Kate decided to follow him. Ducky smiled at her when she walked past him and she returned the smile. She was surprised that even the M.E. hadn't mentioned anything about her identity as Mrs. Todd-DiNozzo to Gibbs.

"Tony?" she called quietly when she'd stepped into the corridor.

He poked his head out of the President's office and only looked at her for a moment before walking over to her.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry about how this played out. I just figured it was best not to tell Gibbs…well…everything."

Kate shrugged. "We got rid of the FBI – I'm not complaining."

Tony smiled at first, but when she looked at him, the smile faded.

"Tony," she said, almost pleadingly. "Please, let's talk about this."

"Seriously, Kate, I don't know what to say. And I don't want us to start another argument. Maybe we should just let some more time pass – get this investigation over with."

"Maybe you're right," Kate muttered. "I just wanted you to know that I do want to work this out."

"I'm glad," Tony sighed. "I also want to work this out." He wanted it more than anything else. He was sick of their fights and of feeling angry. He was longing to get back to how things were before this fight.

"Good," Kate said, almost smiling. "I'll go join Ducky now and leave you to your work."

Tony nodded and watched her go, feeling relieved, even though they hadn't really figured anything out between them.

Kate went back out into the cabin and watched Ducky stick a very long object with a needle into the dead commander's abdomen.

"Are you starting the autopsy now?" she asked.

"Goodness, no. I'm just taking his liver temperature to corroborate the time of death."

Kate looked at her own notes. "The President's physician declared him dead at 2032 Zulu," she said.

Ducky nodded. "Yeah, it never hurts to double-check."

Kate felt a hand in the small of her back and turned to find Tony standing behind her.

"Excuse me. You'll need to stand clear so I can take measurements for my crime scene sketches." He carefully pushed her to the side and stepped past her.

"Why do you even take those sketches? You've taken a dozen photos."

Tony was looking for a good explanation when his eyes fell onto a copy of "Exotic Resorts" with a buxom blonde in a bikini on the cover. He grabbed the magazine and showed it to Kate.

"Tell me her measurements," he said.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you be serious for once?"

"I am serious," Tony said. "Can you tell if she's five-foot-four and a 34C or five-foot-seven and a 36D?" Kate rolled her eyes, which Tony took as a sign of defeat. "You can't! Not from a photo. That's why we do sketches and take measurements."

Kate glared at him. "You know, sometimes I'd really like to…"

"I got 1915 Zulu. That's nearly an hour earlier," Ducky interrupted her, gaining Kate's attention.

"Then you miscalculated."

At that moment, Gibbs came back and told Kate to give Tony a floor plan of the plane, right before disappearing again. Kate ran after him and told him that there was no way in hell she'd provide them with floor plans. Gibbs remained fairly unimpressed and started comparing the actual Air Force One to what he had seen in the movie with Harrison Ford. Kate felt a developing headache throbbing behind her eyes. This man was driving her up the walls!

Then he started asking questions about Commander Trapp.

"He just received his Yankee white clearance and was Major Kerry's backup. The Major has the flu," she explained.

"We'll have to get a navy doctor to verify that."

"He's got it," Kate said. Why did Gibbs have to make things so complicated?

But he was already continuing to make movie references and Kate wondered if Tony had been wearing off on his boss. Finally they headed back to the President's office and he handed her a pair of gloves.

When they entered the office, Tony was sitting on the President's chair, his feet propped up on the desk.

Kate decided to teach him a lesson and turned to Gibbs. "Oh no, I draw the line at him sitting in the President's chair," she complained.

"He's not using it!" Tony defended himself.

"You…!" Kate started loudly, but was interrupted by Gibbs.

"Tony, stop teasing your wife and do what she says! Otherwise we'll never get any work done."

Tony and Kate both stared at Gibbs.

"You know?" Tony croaked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Gibbs sent him an impatient look. "Do you really think I don't know the name of your wife and where she's working?" he asked. "Besides, you're wearing matching wedding rings."

"Oh!" Tony stared at his ring.

But Gibbs wasn't paying any more attention to him and started to explain to Kate how she needed to bag and tag the evidence – when she suddenly pressed a hand to her mouth and ran from the office. Gibbs, not wanting to lose evidence, grabbed a large evidence bag and ran after her. Tony, worried about Kate, followed them.

Gibbs managed to thrust the bag into Kate's hands before she threw up in the toilet. Then he took the bag from her, sealed it and signed his name on it.

Kate vanished inside the restroom then and Tony wanted to follow her to make sure that she was okay, but Gibbs gave him the evidence bag and told him to get back to work. So he returned to the office to bag the rest of the evidence. He was worried about Kate. One person had already died on this plane several hours ago and now she was sick too.

As soon as he had finished inside the office, he went outside and saw Kate lying on a sofa with Ducky bent over her to take her temperature. He arrived in time to hear Ducky say that she didn't have a fever. "I guess it's a virus," the doctor said.

"I know it is," Kate replied.

"How do you know it is a virus?" Gibbs wanted to know.

Kate flinched. "I have the same symptoms as Major Kerry," she admitted.

"Have you had a lot of contact during work recently?"

"No, that's not it…" Kate said, feeling uneasy. She knew what they were going to think, but she didn't want them to lose time investigating poisoned food when all she had was a stupid virus.

"But if you haven't worked together, how…?" Ducky broke off, already drawing conclusions.

"No!" Kate interrupted him immediately. "I met the Major last night and he was already sick. And this morning he wasn't feeling well enough to go to work and…" She stopped when she realized that what she'd just said must sound even more suspicious. She wanted to sit up and explain, but at that moment she spotted Tony who had been standing a few feet away. Oh god! She hadn't noticed he was there and what she'd just said…

"Tony!" she called, but he turned his back on her and walked away.

"I'm going to talk to the chief steward, Gibbs," he called over his shoulder and then he was gone.

"Oh my God," Kate whispered, sitting up. A wave of nausea hit her and she didn't know if it was the virus or the realization of what she'd just done.

Gibbs stared at her in a very strange way and Kate got angry.

"What?" she snapped. "I only checked on Major Kerry this morning – I did not spend the night at his place."

"I never said you did."

"But you thought it! I'm a married woman, Agent Gibbs."

"I was divorced three times. Do you really want to tell me something new about marriage?"

Kate really didn't want to have this discussion now; she needed to talk to Tony. But right when she wanted to get up and follow him, the pilot called her over the intercom and told her that Agent Baer was calling from LA. Damn it!

The interrogation of the chief steward brought up nothing particularly interesting. Tony was having problems concentrating because Kate's words where swirling around in his head. She had been to Major Kerry's last night and obviously also this morning. What did that mean? She couldn't…no, she just couldn't have done that. It was unthinkable. But his masochistic brain wanted to convince him otherwise and was torturing him with very lively images of Kate crying on the Major's shoulder and the Major's try at comforting her.

"What'd you get?" Gibbs asked, entering the office and bringing Tony back to reality. He reported his findings. Gibbs decided that now was a good time to move the body to the back of the plane and so they went to work.

The conversation with Agent Baer did nothing to lighten Kate's mood. He ordered her to turn the body over to the FBI as soon as they touched down at Andrews. When she tried to object, he told her to shut up and threatened that if she didn't follow orders, the only presidential detail she'd get would be walking Spotty, the dog. She really hated her job lately – and right now, she hated Agent Baer!

When she came back into the passenger cabin, the dead body was gone. And so was Tony. Gibbs was the only one left and she told him about the orders she had just received and that she had to follow them. She also told him that she was sorry, but Gibbs shook his head.

"Never say you're sorry," he said.

Kate really wanted to go and find Tony now. God, what must he be thinking! But the pilot said that they were beginning their descent into Andrews now and they had to fasten their seatbelts.

After the landing, Gibbs gave the body bag with the commander in it to the FBI and Fornell drove away with it in his car. Kate didn't really believe Gibbs was giving up so easily and the fact that Tony seemed to have vanished miraculously confirmed her suspicion that NCIS had a plan. But the FBI was already gone and Kate gave up trying to figure out the ways of NCIS and decided to head back to headquarters.

By the time she arrived there, she had already gotten an angry phone call from the director, asking her what the hell she had been thinking to conspire against the FBI with NCIS. Kate had no idea what he was talking about until the director explained to her that the body bag Gibbs had handed over to Fornell hadn't contained the dead navy officers, but a very alive NCIS agent – her husband. She was so screwed!

The director wanted to see her in his office and shouted at her for half an hour until Kate got a chance to explain that she had also been fooled by Agent Gibbs' plan. She wasn't sure if the director believed her, but at least he didn't fire her and even allowed her to continue with the investigation. And only then did he tell her that NCIS, FBI, and Secret Service had agreed to work together on this. So all the shouting in the beginning had only been to keep up appearances.

After that, Kate was allowed to go home, and even though she was completely exhausted, she couldn't go home yet. She needed to find out where Tony had gone to after he had left the body bag. It only took her one phone call to Abby to find out that Tony was searching Commander Trapp's apartment so she got the address as well. Fifteen minutes later she was there.

The door of the apartment was closed, but not locked, so she entered without knocking – and was greeted with a gun pointed at her head.

"Oh my…Kate! Are you insane? I could have shot you!" Tony exclaimed, quickly holstering his gun again. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Abby told me where you were. I need to talk to you. I need to explain."

"And how do you want to explain that you were at Major Kerry's last night and this morning?" Tony asked bitterly, turning away from her.

Kate was completely shocked that Tony obviously believed she had cheated on him. So far she had always thought that he hated Tim because he was jealous of all the time the Major got to spend with her. She had been absolutely sure, though, that Tony wasn't really worried she might be unfaithful. But now he believed that she had slept with another man and it shook her to the core.

Tony had already gone back to searching the apartment. He was rummaging around in the kitchen now. Kate went in there and put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Tony, look at me," she said.

When he did, she stepped directly in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Tony, I did not sleep with Tim. I went to his place yesterday after our fight because I wanted to talk to him about it. You see, I wanted to make sure that he sees the situation the same way I do. I thought maybe I'm the one who's interpreting it all wrong and that you're right. But Tim said that he never wanted anything else other than being friends. Then I went to Hannah's and slept there – well, stayed there; I didn't sleep."

Tony ran both hands through his hair and took a labored breath. "Kate…" he sighed. "This is all…this is too much. Why is this happening? I know you're saying that there is nothing between you and Major Kerry, but don't you see where it has led us?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I can see it."

"I can't understand why this man is so important to you. I just don't understand and it's killing me!"

Kate stared into Tony's green-blue eyes and saw the pain in them. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed how much she was hurting him. Or had she noticed? She guessed sometimes she had. And still, she hadn't been willing to do what he was asking from her and hadn't stopped seeing Major Kerry. It was the first time that Kate admitted to herself that maybe she liked her colleague and friend more than she should – and it shocked her. She would swear by the lives of her entire family that she had not, even for one second, considered cheating on her husband, but maybe what she'd done could also be considered cheating.

Making a final decision, Kate took Tony's hands in hers and was glad when he didn't pull back. "You're the only man I love, Tony. Please, please believe that I didn't cheat on you. And I'm sorry I didn't understand…I didn't see…Tony, I'm sorry. I'll tell Major Kerry that we won't meet outside of work again – I'll do it tomorrow – or right now if you want me to. Just please, forgive me. I couldn't live knowing that you don't trust me anymore."

Tony looked into her eyes and knew she wouldn't lie. She was Kate, she wouldn't lie, not even to save herself. "I believe you, Kate," Tony said. "I know you wouldn't cheat on me."

He lifted his hands to her face and placed his palms on her cheeks, looking deep into her eyes. "What happened between us?" he asked. "How could we make so many mistakes? We saw each other so rarely and we just accepted it. We let work become too important. I was jealous, you were unhappy…"

"No! I wasn't unhappy. I've never been unhappy with you." Kate looked almost scared now. Tony ran his right thumb over her forehead and smoothed out the small line between her eyebrows that she got when she was really worried about something. Then he kissed her forehead and smiled at her.

"We'll try harder from now on," he said. "I won't be a jealous bastard anymore, I promise!"

Kate chuckled softly and wanted to add something, but Tony leaned down and kissed her deeply. Kate forgot what she'd wanted to say, wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him, kissing him back for all she was worth.

She knew he was right. They had made mistakes. They had let things change between them, subtly, starting some months after they had gotten married. They had stopped calling each other every day when one of them was out of town. They hadn't taken their time for proper hello's or goodbyes anymore. They had taken each other for granted. She knew that they both had noticed the changes, but she guessed they had chosen to ignore the problem and to hope that it would go away. They hadn't worked hard enough on it and now they had almost paid the price. But it was over now and they wouldn't let it happen again.

After their kiss, Kate rested her head on Tony's shoulder and enjoyed the safety she felt in his arms. His chin was resting on the top of her head and his fingertips were playing with the hair at the nape of her neck. Kate felt warm and comfortable and her skin was tingling pleasantly under Tony's touch.

But their surroundings soon reminded them that they didn't have the whole night at their disposal.

"What were you looking for before I came?" Kate wanted to know.

"For anything that could be poisoned. I guess I'll just have to take all the food to Abby."

"Did Gibbs tell you that FBI, NCIS, and the Secret Service are now working together on this case?"

"Really? So I'll get a chance to show you round NCIS?"

Kate smiled. "I'm supposed to be at your office tomorrow morning. I have direct orders from my director. But I guess as soon as this is over, the problem of my intensive working hours will be solved."

"I don't understand."

"I think they are going to fire me."

"What?" Tony exclaimed. "Why would they do that?"

Kate shrugged. "They think I defied direct orders and helped Gibbs trick Fornell."

"Kate, if they thought that, they would have already fired you."

Kate sighed. "I don't know. Thing is, I don't think I would even mind that much."

Tony held Kate at an arm's length and stared at her. "Why are you saying that?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "It's just that recently…This job has become so different – or maybe it's me. You know, all my colleagues there, they pretend they want to help me and to be supportive, but in a crisis they'd just drop me like something dirty they've found on the street. Agent Baer, my superior, he wants to be my mentor, but he'd fire me on the slightest suspicion. And that…that's not the world I want to spend the rest of my life in."

Tony was really surprised to hear her say this. "How long have you been feeling like this?" he wanted to know.

"Three or four months," Kate said, shrugging.

"And you never told me?"

"I guess I didn't want to admit it, even to myself."

"Does that mean you want them to fire you?"

"What? No…I mean…No, I don't want them to fire me. I don't know."

Tony gently ran a hand over her hair. "Whatever you decide, sweetheart, I'll be backing you up, okay? I want you to be happy." And – a lot more quietly – he added: "That's all I ever want."

Kate leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a short, sweet kiss. "I love you," she whispered against his lips and Tony pulled her in again.

"How long will this take you?" Kate asked some minutes later, referring to the search of the apartment.

"At least another hour," Tony said. "Then I'll have to go back to HQ and take it to Abby's lab – it will be morning by then. But you should go home now – try to get some sleep."

"I want to stay with you."

Tony smiled, but shook his head. "If you slept as little as I did last night, you will really need some sleep."

Kate had to admit that it was true. She hadn't slept last night and she was extremely tired.

"We'll see each other in the morning," Tony said. "Abby will be so excited when she hears that you're going to come."

Kate smiled. "Will you try to get some sleep too?"

"I'll sleep at the office," Tony said.

"Okay." She sighed. But before she left, she reached for Tony's hand and pulled him close.

"Tony? Let's promise each other something."

He smiled at her. "What?"

"I want to be sure that we'll never let anything like this happen between us again. Let's promise each other that whatever happens, we'll talk about it and sort it out immediately."

"I'm good with that," Tony nodded. "But only if you promise not to throw any more vases at me."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry about that!" Kate exclaimed. "I never meant to hit you with it – I was shocked it got so close."

Tony shrugged. "I always knew you threw like a girl," he teased.

Kate made an outraged sound and lightly punched him in the stomach. Tony winced, but at the same time he was laughing. "You're such a violent person!" he teased her before cupping her face with his hands and pulling her in to kiss her goodbye.

--

_A/N: You didn't think I'd let Kate cheat on Tony, did you?_


	21. Yankee White Part 2

_A/N: So, this is the second - and last - part of Yankee White. I think I already said I'm not going to end the story here, so don't worry, there will be more. Still, it is kind of a milestone for this story because this is the point I absolutely wanted to reach - and now we're here. Thanks to all who have been reading this. I greatly enjoy having you as an audience. _

_Special thanks, as usual, to Mandi, who is such a great beta._

**Chapter 21: Yankee White, Part 2**

The next morning, Kate went into NCIS headquarters for the first time. She got a visitor's pass and the guard asked her who she wanted to see. It was too early to meet Gibbs, so she said she wanted to see Tony.

"If you just wait a second, I'll call him, Ma'am," the man said and dialed a number on his phone.

"He's not answering his desk phone, Ma'am," he said after ten seconds. "Maybe he isn't here yet."

"Could you call Abby Sciuto then?"

One minute later, Abby stormed into the entrance hall and threw her arms around Kate.

"Ooh, Kate, I'm so excited you're here! Now I can show you everything, my lab, my mass spectrometer and my new microscope and…"

"Abby!" Kate laughed. "I have a meeting in half an hour. And do you know where Tony is?"

"He's down in my lab, sleeping."

Kate smiled. "I'd like to say good morning to him – and see your lab."

They walked over to the elevator and went down one floor. Abby then led her through automatic glass doors and opened her arms wide. "This is it," she said proudly.

Kate looked around. "Wow!" she said. She had no idea what all those machines were good for, but they did look impressive.

Then she spotted Tony. He was lying on his back on a red futon under a desk and was still sleeping soundly. Kate went over to him and kneeled down by his side. Smiling, she bent over him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. When she pulled back, she saw that a smile had appeared on his lips and a few seconds later he opened his eyes. He sat up and without a word pulled Kate to him to kiss her passionately.

"Aw!" Abby said, the broadest grin on her face. She knew her friends had had some problems recently, but they had obviously worked it out. She was so happy for them!

"Abby, what'd you get?" Gibbs startled her out of her happy haze and she spun around to face him.

"Shh!" she shushed, not wanting him to interrupt Tony and Kate, but they weren't paying attention anyway.

They did hear him though when he asked very loudly, "What's going on down here?"

Tony started and stared at his boss, quickly getting to his feet and helping Kate up too. "No-nothing, boss," he stuttered. "Kate came down here to see how the case is going – didn't she, Abby?"

"Yes," Abby said quickly. "And I've always wanted to show her my lab. It's so good to have you here, Kate."

Gibbs sighed. "Meeting up in the bullpen in twenty minutes. Abby, you're going to present your findings to me, the FBI, and Secret Service."

"Not a problem, bossman!" Abby said and saluted. Gibbs smiled at her and left.

"Twenty minutes," Tony muttered. "I have to change. Abby can you take care of Kate?"

"Sure thing, Tony."

"Okay, good, see you in twenty minutes," he said, dropping a quick kiss on Kate's lips and hurrying out of the lab.

* * *

Abby and Ducky presented their findings and informed the members of the three agencies that they both thought Commander Trapp had died a natural death. Agent Fornell left afterwards and Kate wanted to follow him, but Gibbs called her back, offering her a stick of gum. Confused, Kate walked over to him.

"When's the President returning?" he wanted to know.

"Tomorrow, noon. I'm flying back tonight to rejoin the detail."

"Mind if I tag along?"

Kate gave him a warning look. What was that man up to?

"Please?" Gibbs said, almost politely.

Kate sighed. "You can. Your Sig Sauer can't. We have a rule. No weapons on Air Force One unless you're Secret Service."

Without hesitation, Gibbs took his weapon out of its holster and put it into one of his desk drawers. Then he left the office, but not without telling Abby to keep looking.

Kate felt Tony's hand on her shoulder and smiled at him. "What's your boss up to?" she asked him.

"You're asking me? I have no idea. But Gibbs always listens to his gut feeling and I guess this time it tells him that there's more to this case."

Kate sighed, but nodded. She was all for thorough investigation herself and if Gibbs believed there was something fishy going on, she didn't have a problem with him joining her on the flight.

"So you're flying to LA tonight?" Tony asked.

"But I'm going to be back tomorrow," she said, placing a hand on his arm.

Tony took her hand. "You know, today's Sunday and I have nothing more to do on this case…" He smiled at her. "Do you have to work?"

Kate shook her head, not breaking eye-contact with him.

"Wanna go home?" he asked her.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

When Kate awoke, she was slightly disoriented. The sun was shining brightly into the room, but something about the light didn't seem right. Kate didn't care much, though, and snuggled closer into Tony's arms. She smiled happily – she hadn't felt this great in weeks. Things were okay between them again; more than okay - they were back to perfect.

Now Kate knew what was wrong with the light. It wasn't morning, but afternoon light. They had gone to bed around 10 a.m. and now it was – a look on the clock on the nightstand - 3 p.m. Kate would be getting ready to leave soon. There was something she needed to do before she flew to LA, but she figured she still had some time left.

Kate propped her head up on her arm and looked down on Tony's sleeping form. He was sleeping peacefully; he must have been really tired. But not too tired to give her his full attention for at least an hour after they'd gone to bed. Kate bit her bottom lip at the memory. She couldn't even remember the last time it had been so intense between them. She almost felt a bit sore.

She couldn't believe she had let the problems between them develop to such a huge crisis. She should have seen it and done something about it. But she had to admit that during the past few months she had been putting her job above everything else, even above her marriage. When Kate had been younger, she had always been able to put her career first and she had been convinced that she wouldn't let anything get in the way, not even love. She would have laughed at anyone who would have had the audacity to claim that one day love might be more important to her. That's just not the way an emancipated woman should think and she guessed that during the last several months she had been trying to prove to herself and to everyone else what she could do.

But she had been wrong. There were more important things than work and a career. Why would anyone want to be successful if they didn't have a person to share it with in their lives? Today Kate knew that to lose her job wouldn't be a catastrophe, but to lose Tony – which she felt she almost had – would shatter her whole world to pieces. There were always other jobs, other careers, but there was only one man she loved. She was definitely not willing to give up work to become a housewife, but she knew that if she wanted her marriage to work, she'd have to compromise and change some things at least. She wouldn't risk losing the one thing in her life that made her happy for a job she wasn't even sure she liked anymore.

After a moment's hesitation, Kate leaned down and kissed Tony. She hated to wake him, but she wanted to have time to say goodbye to him properly – and he could go back to sleep after she was gone.

"Hey," Tony muttered and smiled sleepily. "How late is it?"

"Ten after three. I have to go soon."

"Already?"

Kate threaded her fingers through his soft hair and placed another kiss on his lips. "I want to go to Georgetown before I leave for L.A."

Tony frowned. "Georgetown?"

"I said I'd talk to Tim today," she reminded him. "I'm going to tell him that our relationship will only be professional from now on – and I want to do it in person."

Tony slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her on top of him. Kate crossed her arms on his chest and placed her chin on them to look at his face while his hands stroked her back.

"Kate, I really appreciate that you're doing this. I know the decision wasn't easy for you."

"It was easy," she whispered, using one hand to stroke his cheek before kissing his chin and then his lips. She chuckled. "You're stubbly."

Tony smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

Even though he didn't make clear what he was referring to, Kate understood him. "I'm absolutely sure," she said. "And I should have done it months ago. I don't know why I didn't do it then – but I'm sorry I didn't."

She really didn't know why she hadn't been willing to do it earlier. There had even been moments when the thought had crossed her mind that what she was doing with Tim Kerry wasn't suitable for a married woman. They'd had dinner at his place more than once, alone. Kate liked Tim, she really did, but she had never had any romantic feelings for him. She had to admit, though, that sometimes she'd had the suspicion that Tim might be feeling more for her than he was willing to admit. But then again she'd told herself that in the twenty-first century it shouldn't be a problem for a man and a woman to be friends. Plus, she hadn't liked the fact that Tony had tried to tell her who she was allowed to be friends with and her stubborn side had gotten the better of her. But it was over now. She had come to her senses and she was going to correct her mistake.

* * *

Kate and Tim Kerry met in the small bar in Georgetown he'd shown her some months ago. They'd been there a couple of times since then and Kate had always enjoyed being there with him.

They drank to Commander Trapp and Tim told Kate that he'd known the commander and had given him a couple of tips when the young man had been new in DC.

But Kate didn't wait long before she brought up what she'd come here for.

"Tim, I need to talk to you about something."

He frowned at the very serious tone in her voice, but nodded for her to continue.

"You know that Tony and I have been having some problems," she began.

"You came to me after your argument on Friday, remember?" he said.

Kate nodded. "Yes. You see, Tim, Tony and I talked yesterday and we worked things out. I understand now that the situation was simply unbearable for him. And I promised to him that things would change."

"Which things, Kate?" he reached for her hand across the table, but Kate didn't allow him to touch her.

"Tim, this has to stop," she told him straight out. "We can't see each other outside of work anymore

"But why? We haven't done anything wrong! I know that you're married and I respect that!"

"But there has always been something lingering in the background between us," Kate said. "And it has to stop. I love my husband and I'm not going to let him doubt that ever again. I really hope that you can respect my decision."

"I don't think I have any other choice, do I?" he looked upset, but Kate was glad that he wasn't trying to change her mind.

He walked her to her car and opened the door for her. When she had left, he turned and went over to his own car. He had seen it coming. That's the price you pay when you fall in love with a married woman: you get your heart broken. But he was somehow glad that Kate had made a final decision now. He loved her and didn't want her to be unhappy.

He climbed onto the driver's seat of his car and started to turn the key in the ignition when suddenly his body started to shake. Kate's face was the last thing on his mind before the world faded to black for Major Kerry.

* * *

Early on Monday morning, the President boarded Air Force One to fly back to DC. Gibbs was with them after Agent Baer had agreed to the presence of the NCIS agent. Kate was surprised he hadn't objected, but obviously her senior agent respected Gibbs' "gut feeling."

Kate had to admit she liked Gibbs. He could definitely be a pain in the ass, but he was also an excellent investigator and he obviously didn't like to leave cases unsolved. She understood now why Tony respected him so much – which she knew he did even though he had never quite put it that way. She guessed that Gibbs had partly become the strong father figure Tony had always missed and wanted.

During the first couple hours of the flight, Kate didn't see any trace of Gibbs. Then it was him who came to find her while she was having an early lunch.

"I see you're over the flu," he said when he'd sat down next to her.

"Twenty-four hour bug," Kate replied. "Tim got over it yesterday." The moment she said it she wished she could take it back. She really shouldn't mention Tim like that anymore. When Gibbs looked at her in a strange way, she added more quietly: "Tim is Major Kerry."

"Yeah, kinda figured that."

"I met him for a drink yesterday. I told him we couldn't see each other anymore. I mean, not that we had been dating or anything, it's just that…I talked to Tony and I told him I would stop seeing Major Kerry. It's for the best." Kate sighed. "You thought I was having an affair, didn't you?"

Gibbs shrugged. "It's none of my business," he said.

"Oh, it definitely isn't," Kate replied, but it was still bothering her slightly that Gibbs might think that of her.

* * *

The moment Tony got into the office on Monday morning he was called to a crime scene in Georgetown. When he got there, a local police officer was already expecting him.

"Agent DiNozzo, NCIS. What do you got?"

"One dead Marine officer. No signs of trauma."

Tony stepped closer to look inside the parked car the victim had been found in while the officer went on explaining: "Doesn't appear to be a robbery. There's still cash and credit cards in his wallet. I've got two shootings already this morning. Since this guy's one of yours, I hoped you might take him."

Tony didn't recognize the man immediately, but when he was shown the marine's ID, his jaw dropped. Major Tim Kerry.

"Yeah, we'll take him," he muttered. What did this mean? Major Kerry dead on a street in Georgetown – he may have been lying dead in his car all night. And that would mean he must have died shortly after meeting Kate yesterday. Oh no, Kate! This would be a huge shock for her!

But Tony couldn't concentrate on Kate's reaction now; he had to figure out why another football carrier was dead within 48 hours of the first one.

* * *

Kate was trying to think of all the differences between the plane the President usually travelled in and the backup plane. Gibbs had asked her what differences there were before he had gone to take a teleconference call. There weren't that many: a larger rear-loading hatch, an extra lavatory, digital locks on the other plane, keyed ones on this. Kate didn't feel very comfortable while trying to name more differences; she had a feeling that Gibbs might be on to something here. So she switched on her laptop to look at the plans of the two birds.

When she went to find Gibbs, she came across him in the corridor. He seemed to be in a hurry.

"I've accessed everything I could on the differences," she informed him, but he didn't even listen.

"We need to talk," he said, trying to open the door to the meeting room they were standing in front of, but Kate stopped him.

"No, what are you doing? There's a campaign conference going on."

"I need to talk to you in private," Gibbs urged and Kate wondered what this was about.

She followed Gibbs when he started to walk down the corridor.

"Well, there's no other private meeting room," she informed him. "You could ask the President to give up his office, but that might be a little weird."

But suddenly he grabbed her arm and pulled her inside a lavatory. "What are you doing?" Kate exclaimed. "Hey! Ow!"

In one single motion, Gibbs grabbed her gun, spun Kate around and pushed her onto the closed toilet seat. Suddenly she found herself face to face with the barrel of her own gun and all she could do was stare at Gibbs. Was he the traitor?

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Commander Trapp was poisoned," he informed her.

So he must have gotten new information in the teleconference. But why the hell was he pointing a gun at her?

"Australian snake venom," he went on. "Hard to detect. Mimics a natural death."

Kate stared at him, taking in the information and still not understanding why they were inside the lavatory – and why her gun was pointed at her. But then she saw it in Gibbs' eyes and she couldn't believe it.

"What? You think I did it?"

"Well, sweat pea, you were with him when he was poisoned."

"Yeah, so was the President. Are you going to accuse him?"

"No," he replied coolly, staring into Kate's eyes. "He wasn't with Major Kerry yesterday."

This last phrase made Kate shudder. Suddenly she knew that something terrible had happened. "Tim?" Kate asked carefully. What was this about? What was Gibbs trying to tell her?

With the next words, the world turned cold: "Stroked on a Georgetown street," he said and for a moment Kate thought she was going to be sick. An ice cold hand seemed to have grabbed her by the nape of the neck and wouldn't let go. And the next words Gibbs said were like a stab in the chest. "You know what? I'll bet it wasn't far from the bar where you two said bye-bye."

That was when Kate lost it. She jumped up and started punching Gibbs' chest with her fists as hard as she could. "You bastard!" she shouted. At that moment, she really wanted to hurt him…hurt anyone.

It couldn't be true! Gibbs was lying. Tim wasn't dead. She'd talked to him yesterday; he'd walked her to her car. He just couldn't be gone!

She felt how Gibbs' arms moved around her and steadied her shaking body. "Shh," he said quietly. "I gave it to you cold. I wanted to see your reaction."

Even though Kate wanted nothing but to get away from Gibbs, her body suddenly felt limp and she let him hold her for a second before he helped her sit down again. "Liars can't pale on cue," he said and offered her the gun. "Come on," he urged her when she didn't move to take it. Kate reached for it and put it back in its holster.

She was still feeling sick, but stared at Gibbs angrily. "You're still a bastard," she growled.

But then she took a deep breath. Focus! she told herself. She mustn't let her feelings take over! What was important now was to protect the President. She could mourn for her friend later.

"How were they poisoned?" she wanted to know and Gibbs told her about the poisoned uniforms. Then he wondered aloud what use it was for the terrorists to kill the ball carrier. And suddenly he had an idea.

"The plane. They forced the President to fly his back up. Al Qaeda has to have planted something on this plane."

"Well it can't be a bomb. They'd have detonated it by now."

"You said the locks were different," Gibbs suddenly threw in.

"Uh...29 has digital ones. This plane has keys."

"Armory..." Gibbs muttered. "The armory. They have keys to the armory."

When they hurried out of the lavatory, Kate put her earpiece back in and immediately heard that there was something going on.

"There's a medical emergency in the press cabin," she informed Gibbs.

"It's a diversion," he said. "Cover the President!"

Kate immediately changed directions and ran to the President's office.

"Nobody gets past you!" she told the officer who was standing guard.

She had only been inside the office for some moments when she heard shouting outside.

"Sir, stop right there. Stop right there. Freeze!"

Kate had her gun at the ready, expecting an armed terrorist to enter any moment.

And suddenly there was machine gun fire and then a couple of single shots. Kate stormed out of the office and the first thing she saw was Gibbs standing at the end of the corridor, unharmed. Then she saw the dead man – one of the reporters – lying on the floor, the machine gun still in his hand. Gibbs had been right: it had been one of the reporters.

* * *

After the shooting, the reporters were taken back to their cabin and were kept there for further interrogation. When the turmoil was over, Kate withdrew to a quiet corner and sat down on a chair to look out of the window at the sea of clouds. She had always loved that sight. But today she had a feeling that it was going to be the last time she'd see it from aboard Air Force One. It was strange. She hadn't even decided yet what she was going to do about her job, but the feeling was there and it was strong. And for some strange reason, she welcomed it.

An hour later she went to see Agent Baer and handed in her resignation. She had never done anything so important after so little consideration, but she felt it was the right thing to do. She didn't know if they had been planning to fire her, but when the reports were finished, everybody would know that she had been the last person to see Major Kerry alive. The fact that a Secret Service agent and the football carrier had been meeting in a bar in Georgetown would raise suspicion. She didn't want that. She didn't want any of this anymore.

Kate left the plane, feeling slightly nauseous after the day she had. She really hoped she wouldn't regret this later. But for her, all she needed to know right now was that Tony was going to pick her up and that she was going to go home with him.

She was walking towards the security gate when she heard quick footsteps behind her.

"I heard you quit, Agent Todd," Gibbs said when he'd caught up with her.

"Happy news gets around fast," she replied. "Yes I resigned." She sighed. "It was the right thing to do. I want to find myself a job I still believe in."

"Do you believe in putting criminals behind bars?" Gibbs asked.

Kate stared at him. "I don't understand…"

A car pulled up in front of the barrier and she saw an attractive redhead woman behind the wheel. Gibbs approached the car, but before climbing in, he turned to face Kate one last time. "Tell Tony to take you to work with him tomorrow. I'll have a badge and a Sig Sauer waiting for you." Then he climbed into the car and drove off with the redhead.

Kate stared after him, not believing the turn of events that had just happened. When Tony pulled up next to her, she didn't even notice him at first. So Tony got out of the car and walked around it to stand next to Kate.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Kate looked at him, her eyes still wide; then she nodded and tilted her face up to kiss him.

After a few seconds she pulled back and took a deep breath. "I resigned," she told him without preamble.

"You really did?" Tony asked.

Kate nodded. "And Gibbs just told me that you'll be getting a new team member."

"Really?" Tony asked, confused now. "So he found someone?"

"Yep. She's standing right in front of you."

Tony stared at her, completely speechless for a moment. "Gibbs hired you?" he asked after a couple of seconds.

Kate nodded again. "It looks like we're going to be spending an awful lot of time with each other in the future. Feel up to it?"

At that, Tony grinned. He pulled her to him and touched his forehead to hers. "Oh yeah," he whispered, right before their lips met.


	22. Hung Out to Dry

_A/N: Yes, I finally got a new chapter done. I know it took ages, but school is soon going to be over for this year and I'm planning on writing more then.  
_

_Beta: AliasCSINYFriendsER - thank you!_

**Chapter 22 **

On the ride home from the airport, Kate told Tony everything that had happened on Air Force One. She even told him how Gibbs had broken the news of Tim Kerry's death to her.

"I'm sorry he did that," Tony said. Then he added, "I'm also sorry that Major Kerry is dead. I know it must be hard for you."

"Thank you," Kate said quietly, glad when Tony reached for her hand and squeezed it.

They were silent for a couple of minutes, but then Kate spoke again, "I can't believe I'm going to work for NCIS now. Do you think…do you think it's going to be difficult?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to spend almost every minute of the day together from now on. Right now that sounds great to me, but I can imagine that it's…different. We've never had that before." Right from the beginning of their relationship they had gotten used to not seeing each other every day. Both of their jobs had simply made it impossible.

"I don't think it's going to be a problem," Tony said. "At work we won't be husband and wife – Gibbs will see to that, believe me."

Kate smiled at him.

Tony was also smiling, but he had to admit that he really was a bit worried. It was like the feeling he'd had when Kate had wanted him to introduce her to Viv. He was afraid of his job personality colliding with the Tony he was in private life. He didn't think he could be the husband at home and at work from now on – that would make Gibbs fire him within a month. And that meant that Kate would have to learn to come to terms with getting to know another side of him.

When he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was grinning.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, just that I already saw a glimpse of your Special Agent DiNozzo side on Saturday."

"And?"

Kate leaned over to him and placed a hand on his thigh before whispering in his ear, "I thought it was very sexy."

One minute later Tony pulled into their driveway, turned off the engine and turned to face Kate, grinning broadly. "So you're attracted to men who carry guns?" he asked, leaning over to her.

"No." Kate slowly shook her head. "Only to you carrying a gun," she grinned.

"Oh, that could get very interesting when you and I work together."

His lips brushed hers and Kate's breath hitched. "What's Gibbs going to say to that?" she teased him.

Tony's hand wandered up to tangle in her hair and he pulled her in to kiss her again. "The elevator in the NCIS building has an emergency stop switch," he whispered against her lips. "I always wanted to try it out."

When they walked up to their front door, Tony wrapped an arm around Kate's waist. It was enough to make her feel all warm and fuzzy. So when they were inside the house and Tony went to hang up his jacket, Kate caught his hand and pulled him back around to face her. He smiled and opened his arms for her. Kate snuggled into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his back and burying her face in his chest. She sighed happily. God, she had missed that part of their relationship: the moments where they were close to each other and everything around them faded. She hadn't even realized how rare these moments had become – but now she was planning on having loads of them again.

Tony's fingers were threading through her hair and his chin was resting on the top of her head. When she lifted her face up to look at him, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Kate brought her hands up to the nape of his neck to hold him in place – to draw out the moment - and Tony gladly stayed where he was.

When their kiss ended, he touched his forehead to hers and returned to stroking her hair. After a long moment, he helped her out of her coat and hung it up together with his jacket. In the meantime, Kate slipped out of her heels and walked into the kitchen where she opened the fridge – which was devoid of any edible food. She smiled when she felt Tony's arms wrap around her from behind. He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and also threw a glance into the fridge.

"Take-out!" he announced.

"Pizza," Kate replied.

"Seriously?"

She shrugged. "I feel like eating pizza tonight."

"Your every wish is my command," Tony said solemnly. Dropping a kiss on her cheek, he went to get his cell phone out of the pocket of his jacket.

While Kate heard him order the pizza in the living room, she grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses and went to join him on the couch. Tony opened the bottle and filled their glasses. They drank to Kate's new job, and after he'd switched on the stereo using the remote control, Kate snuggled up to him on the couch with her legs comfortably placed across his lap.

Half an hour later, their pizza was delivered. While Tony went to answer the door, Kate went upstairs to change out of her work attire and put on a pair of worn-out, soft jeans and one of Tony's sweaters. Joining him on the couch again, she was handed a napkin and a huge piece of pizza, which smelled delicious.

With the stereo playing in the background and the pizza and wine on the table in front of them, Kate and Tony had the greatest of times just sitting on the couch and talking. They teased each other and flirted like a brand new couple, both getting butterflies in the stomach at the slightest touch or look. They felt like teenagers again and it was wonderful.

The tension between them became almost palpable in the air and Tony was the first to cave. He gently took the glass out of Kate's hand and placed it on the table, tangled the fingers of one hand in her hair and drew her in to kiss her. He could feel the smile on her lips, and her arms wrapped around his neck while her tongue licked his lips teasingly.

With one arm around her back, Tony held her to him and flipped her over onto her back, landing on top of her and breaking their kiss for a few seconds. He looked down on her, using one hand to stroke her hair back from her forehead while his gaze was locked on hers. Even after the two years that he'd known her, there were still moments when her beauty simply took his breath away. Feeling her body against his, her heartbeat against his chest, her breath on his face, Tony experienced a moment of deepest gratitude that she was in his life and sharing these intimate moments with him. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, right below the eye, then traced his lips to her ear and gently nibbled her earlobe before leaving a trail of kisses down the side of her neck. When he reached her shoulder, he stopped and breathed in the light scent of her perfume. Kate's hands came up to cup his cheeks and she brought him back up to eye-level with her. He started to smile and leaned down for a slow, deep kiss, to which she responded eagerly.

The kiss left them both breathless. Tony touched his forehead to Kate's and tried to get his heart beating normal again, but found that he couldn't. Was it possible to go crazy from loving someone too much?

Kate noticed the smile on his face and returned it. "What?" she asked softly.

Tony kissed the tip of her nose and rolled off of her. Within an instant he had swept her up in his arms and Kate slipped her arms around his shoulders. "A very good idea," she whispered into his ear when he started to carry her up the stairs.

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast, Kate and Tony prepared to leave the house. It was a strange feeling, knowing they were going to work together. Kate wondered what Gibbs had planned for her today. Surely she wouldn't be able to start working right away – the necessary paperwork needed to be taken care of first. But maybe she'd get to see more of the place, spend some time with Abby and get a look at the work Tony had to do every day – even if it was only paperwork. Kate pulled a face when she was reminded that she still had to write her last report for the Secret Service.

"Hey, you ready?" Tony asked enthusiastically.

"Let's go!" Kate replied, smiling at him.

At HQ, Kate had to get a visitor's pass before Tony could lead her up to the bullpen. Once inside the bullpen, Kate immediately spotted Abby. Her friend was standing in front of Gibbs' desk and looked like she'd already had too much caffeine for one day – and it was only 7:30 in the morning! When she saw Kate and Tony, she waved with both arms and hurried over to them, pulling Kate into a hug as soon as she reached her.

"So I guess Gibbs told you," Kate said, trying to get some air back into her lungs. She hadn't called Abby with the news because she had wanted it to be a surprise. Obviously the forensic scientist had found out through other sources.

"Yes he did! I'm so happy!" she squealed. "I can't believe you're working here now!"

"Well, technically, I'm not working here yet," Kate said when Abby had let her go. The two women followed Tony over to his desk. "I still need a badge and ID and I guess that'll take a couple of days."

"One day," came Gibbs' comment from behind his wall of computer screens. "You and I have a meeting with the director in ten minutes. There you'll get your badge. This is your desk," he pointed to the desk across from Tony's.

Tony smiled at her and Kate smiled back.

The meeting with the director was only a formality. He handed her a badge and a Sig, and welcomed her at NCIS. Before she knew it, Kate was already following Gibbs back out of the office.

Kate was automatically heading back to the stairs, but Gibbs took her arm and led her towards the elevator. Kate had no idea where they were going, but stepped into the elevator behind Gibbs. The moment the doors had closed and the elevator was starting to move, Gibbs flipped a switch on the control board and suddenly the car jerked to a stop.

Gibbs turned to face Kate, staring at her out of his piercing blue eyes.

"I believe that you're a good agent, Miss Todd."

"Otherwise you wouldn't have hired me, I guess," she replied, wondering what this was about.

"You don't know me yet, so I'm telling you right out that I'm not a fan of inter-office relationships."

"Okay…" Kate said slowly.

"I hired you in spite of the fact that the second part of your name is DiNozzo. See this as a chance I'm giving you. Keep your private life out of my team, Agent Todd. Any trouble at home, any problem the two of you may ever have – the moment you come into work, it has to be wiped from your brain. Are you able to do that?"

Kate wasn't one hundred percent sure she could, but she figured this wasn't the moment to show doubts. "Our marriage won't interfere with our work," she said.

Gibbs' gaze remained locked with hers for another long moment; then he nodded. He turned around and flipped the emergency stop switch again, which caused the elevator to start moving immediately.

"It's still a mystery to me," he muttered.

"What is?" Kate asked.

Gibbs looked at her, smirking. "I bear with DiNozzo eight hours a day. And you just agreed to work those eight hours with him and, in addition to that, take him home with you afterwards."

Kate grinned. The elevator doors opened and Gibbs stepped out without looking back at her. Kate took a deep breath, put on a straight face and followed him out into the office.

She stayed at the office all morning. First, Tony showed her round the place; then she stayed down at Abby's lab for about an hour because Abby wanted to show her everything she hadn't yet seen on Sunday. And then she used her new desk to start her report for the Secret Service. She didn't want to go back to her former working place to do it and since NCIS and Secret Service had worked the case together, she guessed it didn't matter. When she was finished, she e-mailed her report to Agent Baer.

She looked over at Tony and noticed that he was obviously not busy right now. He was leaning back on his chair and studying his fingernails.

"Need a manicure?" Kate asked after having made sure Gibbs was not sitting at his desk.

Tony folded his hands in his lap and looked over at her, grinning. "I have nothing to do," he said, shrugging.

"Then maybe I should fire you and only keep Kate," Gibbs stated, suddenly appearing between them and Tony jumped.

"Oh, hey, boss, I didn't mean that I…I…"

"Kate, I don't need you this afternoon," Gibbs said without paying any attention to Tony. "You can go home now. Come back tomorrow morning, I'll have your photo ID here by then."

"Okay," Kate said and got up from her chair, collecting the few items she had brought.

"Gibbs, can I leave for lunch break?" Tony asked.

Gibbs nodded almost imperceptibly and Tony jumped to his feet. "Come on!" he said to Kate. "Let's have lunch together."

* * *

Kate was very rudely awoken by the sound of a ringing cell phone. Hers was switched off so she reached out and shook Tony's shoulder.

"Tony, your cell's ringing," she groaned.

"Mpf," was all Tony had to say to that.

"Tony!" Kate complained, kicking him lightly. She hated that he never woke up when his cell phone was ringing. She had never been able to find out if he really didn't hear it or if he just chose to ignore it. Whichever it was, she was not going to answer his phone! Then she realized that since those calls were always work related, they now concerned her too. But still!

"Tony!" she shouted, and now he jerked awake.

"What is it?" he asked, alarmed. Then he heard the ringing himself, swore under his breath, and reached for his cell.

Kate let her head fall back onto the pillow, while she listened to Tony's end of the conversation. There obviously was a case. She looked at the alarm clock and groaned. It was three in the morning!

The conversation didn't last long. Tony tossed his phone back on the nightstand and switched on the lamp. When he turned to face Kate, he was grinning.

"What's so funny about being woken up at three in the morning?" Kate asked. But when Tony just continued to grin, she cupped his ears with her hands and pulled him to her for a kiss. "Good morning," she whispered.

Tony's arm slipped around her waist and anchored her body to his. He was still grinning. "Ready for your first case?" he asked.

"Oh yes!"

"Good," Tony kissed her again before letting her go. "A marine died in a night training jump. I have to call Gibbs."

"Then I'll take a shower."

When Kate came back out of the shower, Tony was already dressed.

"Aren't you showering?" she asked.

"Don't have time. I can't reach Gibbs on his cell so I'll have to drop by. I'd say we split up. We'll meet in Quantico. Call me if you need directions."

"Don't worry, I'll manage," Kate said. Tony always thought his sense of orientation was better than hers, but in reality, he got lost more often than she did.

After Tony had left, Kate had huge problems deciding what to wear. She wasn't sure what the NCIS dress code required for women and so she went for what she'd always been wearing to work: a skirt and suit jacket and heels. She wasn't in a hurry because she guessed there was no use in reaching the crime scene before Tony and Gibbs.

When she arrived at the field in Quantico, the entire scene was brightly illuminated by flood lights. Kate got out of her car and headed towards the MPs to ask where she could find Gibbs and Tony. But the officers first wanted to see her ID. Kate showed them her badge, but it wasn't accepted without the photo ID – which she hadn't gotten yet. Kate argued with the officers for five minutes; then she had enough and called Tony.

One minute later Tony came and waved at her, grinning stupidly. When he reached her, the first thing she did was to punch his arm. "Brush that grin off your face, it's not funny!" she glared at him.

But obviously Tony found it very funny. He told the MPs that it was okay and led her over to the crime scene, proudly announcing her presence to Gibbs when they reached him.

"Hey, look who I found!" he cheered. "MPs weren't going to let her pass."

Kate elbowed him in the ribs without warning and walked past him. "They wouldn't let me pass without a photo ID," she explained to Gibbs. Then she saw the dead Marine, who had obviously crashed through the top of an SUV. "God. Is this for real?" she gasped.

"Unfortunately, my dear, it is," Ducky answered. He was standing on a ladder that was leaning against the side of the SUV.

Gibbs handed her a pair of gloves and told her to put them on. Ten seconds later he held a box out to her in which Kate found a pair of boots. Very funny. She had already noticed herself that she had made a bad choice with her heels.

"Can't work a field in high heels," he said.

Tony's head jerked in her direction and he started to grin. "Depends on the kind of work you're doing," he said, obviously very proud of himself.

Kate glared at him. "When we get home, we'll wash your triple x-rated mouth out with soap!" she threatened.

Tony's eyes widened and when Gibbs told him to take photos – for the second time – he hurried to do as he was told while Gibbs and Kate went to talk to some witnesses. Later, when Kate returned, he had the great chance to take a picture of her in her skirt and military boots. She looked kinda sexy in that outfit – he had to keep that picture.

When the sun rose, they drove to the military base to question the other jumpers. After a short argument with the dead marine's CO they could start their investigation.

"Jumping's got to be so cool!" Tony said, climbing into the plane the marines had jumped out of the night before.

"You want to play paratrooper?" Gibbs asked. "Pay 150; take a class like all those other weekend warriors."

At the same time, Kate gave Tony a look that said "Don't you even think about it!", but Tony remained unimpressed.

"Yeah, I have so many weekends free!" he shouted after Gibbs before taking up his work of sketching and shooting.

Later that day, Gibbs told Kate to help Abby in the lab. Abby almost freaked out with joy and immediately started to show Kate what she had to do and how. After one hour in the lab, Kate was convinced that this was the best job ever. Not only was she interested in forensics, but she also got to work together with her best friend and it was so much fun! Abby really was a genius in what she was doing. They found loads of DNA samples – but they had nothing to compare them with. Kate suggested they could access the armed forces DNA registry, but that was obviously only allowed to identify bodies. So Gibbs called JAG and they said they'd send over a lawyer – the next day.

Gibbs was really pissed that JAG wouldn't hurry up, but there wasn't anything they could do about that. And Kate, to be honest, was glad about the delay because there was something she still had to do today.

When they were upstairs in the office again, Kate walked over to Gibbs' desk. "Gibbs, do you remember the favor I talked to you about yesterday?" she asked.

Gibbs nodded.

"May I go then?"

He nodded again.

"Thank you," Kate sighed. Today was Tim Kerry's funeral and she would feel so bad if she hadn't been able to go. But now she went to change into the black dress she had brought and then returned to her desk to get her bag.

Tony was watching her uneasily, throwing a glance at Gibbs from time to time. He wanted to accompany Kate, but Gibbs wouldn't be happy if they both left.

When Kate waved at him and started to walk over to the elevator, Gibbs stared at Tony. "What are you waiting for?" he barked.

"Boss?"

"You letting your wife go to the funeral alone?"

"No, boss!" Tony said, jumping up and hurrying to join Kate.

"JAG's going to be here at seven tomorrow morning!" Gibbs shouted after them before the elevator doors closed.

Once hidden from Gibbs' view inside the elevator, Kate slipped both arms around Tony's back and buried her face in his chest. "I'm glad you're coming," she whispered. "I know it must be…"

"Of course I'm coming," Tony said, kissing the top of her head. "He was your friend."

* * *

When they arrived home after the funeral, it was eight pm. Tony watched as Kate hung her jacket up in the hall before she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She looked shaken and very sad. Tony wanted to comfort her, but he had no idea what he could say – it would all sound hypocritical after he'd made more than obvious in the past what he thought of Major Kerry.

He had held Kate's hand throughout the funeral. When they'd stood in line to walk past the coffin to say goodbye one last time, she had cried. Standing in front of the coffin, she had placed a hand on the smooth wood and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she'd walked away with Tony by her side. He hadn't known what to do or say then and he didn't know it now. Kate had lost a friend – and he had lost a rival.

At last he decided to give her some time and headed into the kitchen, where he got a bottle of beer out of the fridge. He sat down at the table and took a swig of the cool drink. He thought about the day at the office. It was fun having Kate there. And the best thing about it was that he didn't even have to pretend to be someone he wasn't. He knew that he was a good agent, but according to Secret Service standards he might be…well, a little out of line maybe. He had expected Kate to be disappointed if he didn't live up to her expectations of proper behavior on the job. But she adapted pretty fast to the new work environment and she had actually been willing to engage in some rounds of banter – which he had found really hot. His wife ruled!

Setting his beer down on the table, Tony got up and walked into the living room. Kate still sat in the same spot on the couch, her gaze fixed on the coffee table in front of her.

"Hey," Tony said, sitting down next to her. "How are you holding up?"

Kate turned her head to look at him and smiled faintly. "I'm okay," she said.

"You don't look okay," Tony noticed.

Kate took a deep breath; then she leaned towards Tony and rested her head on his shoulder. Tony immediately wrapped both arms around her and pulled her closer.

"Maybe," she sighed. "But I'm going to be okay."

"That's good," he said, kissing her forehead.

They sat there in companionable silence for a long time. Tony still didn't know what to say to comfort Kate and he figured the best he could do was to keep her company. But then he was Tony and he could never keep quiet for a very long time.

"How did you like your first day at NCIS?" he wanted to know.

"I loved it," Kate said, sounding a bit sleepy. Without moving her head from the position on his shoulder, she lifted a hand and stroked Tony's cheek. "It was fun."

"I thought so too," he replied. The day had been fun – except for the funeral part.

"You know when you told me about your cases in the past, I often thought you were exaggerating," Kate admitted.

Tony chuckled. "Believe me, there are a lot of very strange ways to die – and I've seen loads of them."

"I guess people who jump out of planes on a regular basis are taking their chances."

"Uh…" Tony grimaced. "I wouldn't say that…I mean, accidents happen, you know…" He still found that the marine parachutists were really cool and he'd love to try jumping himself. He'd already talked to one of the instructors on the base.

"Tony…" Kate said, with that ever so slight note of disapproval to her voice. She moved her hand down over his arm before suddenly poking him in the ribs unpleasantly hard. "If you jump out of a plane and the jump doesn't kill you, I will."

Tony swallowed thickly. He wasn't sure what he found creepier: the fact that Kate could obviously read his mind, or that he actually believed she would go through with her threat. He guessed there were also some negative sides to having your wife on the same team with you.

* * *

When they walked into the office at a quarter to seven the next morning, they were still arguing about Tony's jump. But then Kate remembered that Gibbs had warned her about taking private arguments into the office and so she decided to leave it be for the moment.

Gibbs took her into the interrogation room with him for the conversation with JAG Lieutenant Roberts. Kate watched Gibbs' technique of trying to manipulate the Lieutenant with interest, but in the end they didn't get permission to use the armed forces database for their case. They got a search authorization for the para-loft though and Gibbs was obviously very content with it.

Back in the bullpen, Kate wondered why Gibbs had even tried to get permission to access the database if he'd known that he wouldn't be granted it, but then she figured that what he'd really wanted was the search authorization. Impressive.

When Gibbs' phone rang, he looked at the display with a deep frown. Tony had told Kate that Gibbs was having problems with one of his ex-wives who wouldn't leave him alone.

"Identity withheld," Gibbs read from the display.

Tony had walked up to Gibbs' desk and also risked a glance at the cell phone. "Probably the reason you married her," he said, which earned him a glare from Gibbs and a confused look from Kate.

"I mean she probably hid her real personality, like most women do, and by that time it was too late 'cause you'd already…" He stopped himself from getting into even deeper trouble – not only with Gibbs, but also with Kate. He'd thought he could tease her a little with his remark, but maybe he had misjudged her mood.

"I'm going to shut up now," he said quickly, hurrying back over to his desk. He could still feel Kate's glare.

When he'd sat down he had no other choice but to face her.

"Did you really just say 'as most women do'?" she asked sharply.

Tony smiled sweetly at her, but didn't answer. He decided not to be intimidated by her – he couldn't give in all the time. Kate already thought that she could forbid him to take his jump; he couldn't let her have all the control in their marriage.

Gibbs got up from his desk now. On the way out of the office he told them to meet him at the para-loft at 1400. Tony, sensing another chance to tease Kate, said, "That's two o'clock Secret Service time."

"We used Zulu time, Tony," Kate replied, unnerved by him.

"Oh yeah, that would be…" Tony tried to calculate the time difference. Did he need to add five or six hours?

"Nineteen hundred," Kate said triumphantly when he didn't come up with an answer.

"I knew that!" Tony exclaimed, but he didn't convince Kate.

Later, Kate went to lunch with Abby. She asked Tony if he wanted to come, but he came up with an excuse and she thought that he was still sulking. But when she arrived at the para-loft together with Gibbs two hours later, she found out why Tony hadn't had time to go to lunch with her and Abby. He was already there, wearing military clothes and a helmet, and Kate came just in time to see him jump off a platform and roll off the fall.

"Very ladylike," she commented when they'd reached him. She would definitely be having a word with him later!

Their investigation developed quickly after their search of the para-loft. After a wrong lead, they finally got a suspect. But to prove his guilt, they needed a confession. And to get that, Gibbs and Tony were going to take part in the training jump that was scheduled that evening. Tony grinned broadly at Kate when he walked past her on his way out of the office.

Kate was really pissed that Tony had an excuse for jumping out of a plane now. And if he liked it, she would never hear the end of it – he might even want to do it again. She hated the idea that he was going to fall out of the sky with only a couple of very thin ropes preventing him from breaking his neck. Their victim had died, doing exactly that, for heaven's sake!

Three hours later, Tony called her and said that they had their culprit. And he didn't lose any time before adding that he had indeed made the jump. When he came into the office half an hour later, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Kate, it was fantastic, unbelievable!" he exclaimed.

He went to sit on the edge of her desk. "Looking down from that plane was amazing," he told her. "The wind in my hair and in my face with the knowledge that soon I would be flying through the air. I took one last breath and then…"

"Are you telling Kate about how you fell out of that plane?" Gibbs asked, walking past Kate's desk, looking very amused.

"Fell out?" Kate repeated, starting to grin. "What does he mean, Tony?"

"Uh…well, I'm not sure, uh…"

"There was a little struggle inside the plane when we put pressure on our suspect," Gibbs explained willingly. "Tony was pushed and fell out the door."

Kate burst out laughing.

"But I would have jumped!" Tony defended himself. "That struggle happened before I could do it."

But it didn't help. Kate couldn't stop laughing and after a few seconds, even Gibbs joined in. Tony pushed himself off Kate's desk and strolled over to his own, sitting down and turning to his computer, not looking at Kate or Gibbs anymore.

Gibbs looked at him amusedly, then continued to walk over to the stairs. When he was gone, Kate walked over to Tony's desk and perched on its edge, close enough for their legs to touch.

Tony, sulking, didn't look at her and Kate had to hide a smile.

"Aw, Tony, come on," she said. "Don't be a baby."

Tony glared at her. "I would have jumped," he said.

Kate nodded. "I know. Even if I wish you hadn't. I don't want you to break your neck. I'd like to enjoy your company for a couple more years."

That made Tony smile and he turned his chair so that Kate was standing between his knees. "Enjoy my company, eh?"

Kate bent down and pressed a kiss to Tony's lips. "Come home with me and I'll show you how much," she whispered.

First, Tony stared at her, and glanced over to the stairs where Gibbs had disappeared. When he saw no trace of their boss, he got up from his chair, grabbed Kate's hand and hurried to get her out of the office.

Now he was sure that the advantages of having Kate working with him out-weighed the disadvantages.


	23. Good Wives

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show_

_Beta: The one and only AliasCSINYFriendsER!_

_A/N: I know this has taken ages, sorry. Part of the next chapter is already planned, though!_

**Chapter 23****: Good Wives **

They were on the flight back from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they had prevented a crime from happening, and where Tony had had a very embarrassing encounter with an iguana - an incident he would never hear the end of: Kate would make sure of that. They had been in the air for more than two hours and Tony was still playing with the little gadgets the plane offered. Kate and Paula Cassidy were exchanging amused glances about his childish behavior.

Kate liked Paula Cassidy. She hadn't liked how Tony had danced with her in that club to make her talk to him, but that had been before Paula had learned that Tony was married – to his fellow agent. After that, the women had gotten along well, sometimes teaming up against Tony to give him a hard time. Kate had never been the bully type, but with Tony it seemed to come naturally.

Their latest mission had introduced a problem they hadn't faced so far. When it had come to the distribution of the bedrooms, Kate and Tony had hesitated, not knowing what NCIS rules said about two agents of opposite sex sharing a bedroom during a mission. They were married, of course, but it still was a strange situation, especially knowing that Gibbs would be sleeping next door. Two weeks before that, when they had spent some days on a carrier, the arrangements had been clear because the rules on the ship didn't allow men and women to share quarters, no matter if they were married or not.

"Don't you look at me!" Gibbs had ordered, guessing their problem. "I'm not interested in your bedroom arrangements."

And so they had slept in the same bed – but only slept.

They were nearing Washington now and Kate started thinking of the following week. She couldn't believe next Thursday would be Thanksgiving. Where had the last month gone? She and Tony had handed in their vacation request back in September to make sure Gibbs wouldn't have the team put on weekend duty and destroy their plans to fly to Indiana. Kate's mother had been repeatedly inviting them for Thanksgiving since May and they didn't want to disappoint her this year. Kate was looking forward to seeing her family. Her brother Cam was coming from California with his wife and children; they hadn't been home for ages!

When Tony sat down next to her and saw the expression on her face, he smiled. "You thinking of Thanksgiving?" he asked.

Kate gave him a sweet smile. "Yeah, of that…and of the iguana."

* * *

Kate's father picked them up at the airport again and this time the greeting between Tony and him was warmer than the last time they had come for Thanksgiving; they even gave each other a hug. But during the ride, Kate's father was unusually quiet. He did ask questions about their work and private life, but Kate knew him well enough to notice that he wasn't completely into the conversation.

"Dad? Is everything alright?" she asked when they were still a couple of blocks from the house.

He cast a short glance at her before looking back at the street. "I guess I should tell you before we get home," he said with a deep sigh.

"Dad, what is it? You're scaring me."

Tony leaned forward from the backseat and put a hand on Kate's shoulder.

"It's your brother, Cam," her father started to explain. "He and Sharon are having some problems. She stayed in California with the kids and he came alone."

"What?" Kate exclaimed. "But…did they have an argument? Or is it something more serious?"

"I don't really know," Ben said. "Cam isn't talking much. Your mother called Sharon, but she didn't want to talk about it either."

"Jesus!" Kate muttered, letting out a deep breath.

Moments later they pulled into the driveway of the Todd's house and into the garage. It was freezing cold and they hurried inside where they were greeted by Pam.

They were led into the living room and spotted Cam sitting on the couch and staring darkly at the TV screen. He got up to greet them, but didn't talk much and soon excused himself to go upstairs.

Tony noticed how quiet Kate had become since her father had broken the bad news to her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, moving closer to her on the couch.

She looked into his eyes and he saw that she was holding back tears. "Sharon is like a sister to me and I had no idea that they were having problems."

"None of us knew," her mother said gently. "And we still don't. It might be only temporary."

Kate and Tony talked to her parents until late into the evening, bringing each other up-to-date on the latest events. Kate and Tony had to tell lots of stories about their job. Kate's mother was not very happy, imagining how dangerous this job must be, whereas Kate's father was very interested in everything they had to say.

Later, when Kate and Tony were lying in bed, Tony squeezed Kate tightly and whispered to her, "Do you remember the time we spent on the _Enterprise_?"

"When you tried to sneak into my quarters at night? How could I forget?"

The deck guard had caught Tony in the female quarters – in his boxers – and having no idea who Tony was, had wanted to take him under arrest. Kate had woken up – as well as half of the deck - when Tony had shouted her name. She had rescued him and sent him back to his room, where she had told him to stay.

"I was talking about when you got lost and ended up in the men's room," Tony teased her.

"I should never have told you that!" Kate moaned.

Tony chuckled.

No one spoke for a while; then Kate sighed. "I'm still thinking about Cam and Sharon," she admitted. "Maybe it's not that serious. I mean, Sharon and I talk on the phone at least once a week. If they had been having problems for a long time, she would have told me. Maybe they had an argument and thought the distance would do them good?"

"There are things in every marriage that you don't carry out into the open," Tony said, running his hand down over Kate's arm. "When we had problems a few months ago, you never told your family about it either, did you?"

"No, I didn't," she admitted. "But still…"

"Hey, don't worry," Tony interrupted her. "You'll only drive yourself crazy thinking about it. Wait until tomorrow, maybe you can get your brother alone and talk to him."

"I could call Sharon."

"What? Now?"

"It's not that late in California."

"Kate, if she wanted to talk about it, don't you think she would have called?"

"Don't be an idiot!" Kate sighed. "Sometimes people don't know how to talk about their problems even though they want to. I'll call her now and ask her if everything's okay."

With that, she climbed out of bed and picked up her cell phone from the small table in the corner.

Tony listened to Kate's end of the conversation, which started hesitantly but soon developed its own rhythm that only women could create. The conversation lasted more than half an hour. When Kate had hung up, she slipped back under the blanket and stared at the ceiling.

"So, what is it?" Tony wanted to know. It had been hard to tell what was the problem from the things Kate had said. It had definitely been about a job and money, and a lot of general observations about men…

"Men are chauvinists!" Kate growled.

Tony's internal alarm sounded at those words. Careful now! He mustn't say anything that would make Kate think that her observation also applied to Tony. Don't say anything at all, that's the best you can do! No, that won't do either; she wants to talk about it.

"Did Sharon tell you what happened?" he asked carefully.

Kate nodded gravely.

"And are you going to tell me?"

Kate glanced at him and sighed. "My brother is an idiot," she told him.

"Okay…but, why?"

"Do you remember when I told you that Sharon started working again some months ago?"

Tony didn't remember, but nodded anyway. "So?"

"You know, she stopped working before Naomi was born. Then Tommy came only two years later, so she didn't go back to work then, either. But when Tommy was a year old she got an excellent job offer at the bank she'd been working at before and she accepted. They had a nanny for the kids because they were both working and everything went great. But then they decided to have another baby and Sharon had to stop working again. She only told me now that when she was pregnant with Ava she'd asked Cam if he would stay at home with the children this time. It was only fair. She'd stayed at home for Naomi and Tommy. Plus, she's earning more money than he does."

"But he refused," Tony guessed.

"Of course he did. He's the same chauvinistic pig as any other man on this planet!"

Tony decided not to comment that, instead he asked, "But I thought Sharon _is_ a working mother?"

"She is! Because she refused to stay at home, they found a nanny for the kids and I thought everything was working perfectly well. But now…Sharon told me that Cam wasn't happy about it at all. He said that he didn't want his children to be raised by a nanny."

"Well, he sure has a point there…"

"Then why did he refuse to stay at home?"

"Because he's a man and it's his job to…"

"Oh my God!" Kate exclaimed. "I don't believe this! We're living in the 21st century. If a woman has a good job and earns more money than her husband then why can't he stay at home and take care of the children – if he refuses to let a nanny do it?"

"Uhm…I mean…" Damn! Tony thought. Big mistake! Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?

"So, is that why he came here alone?" he asked carefully, trying to direct the conversation away from himself.

"They had a huge argument a few days ago," Kate said. "He accused her of neglecting her family because she's had to work a lot of overtime recently. Then she said she would spend Thanksgiving with her mother and took the children with her."

"I'm really sorry to hear that," Tony said, meaning it. "But it was an argument, right? They haven't split up?"

"No, they haven't. But Sharon is really unhappy."

"Well, Cam doesn't seem to be doing very well, either."

"No," Kate sighed. She looked really sad – she also seemed to have forgotten that she had been shouting at Tony two minutes ago. So he thought it was safe to give her a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, glad when she returned the hug and buried her head in his chest.

* * *

The next day, they had breakfast with the family. Pat would come over later, also alone because his daughter was spending Thanksgiving with her mother. Sean, Marie and the twins were with Marie's parents, much to the dislike of Kate's mother.

Later, Kate helped her mother in the kitchen and Tony found himself sitting in the living room with Kate's brothers Pat and Cam, watching TV. Pat tried to make Cam talk about his problems and Tony wasn't sure if he should admit that he already knew what the argument had been about. But then Cam gave in and told them about the problems his marriage had been facing after his wife had started working again.

"I was taking good care of my family," he said at the end of his explanation. "The children had all they needed. Okay, we aren't rich, but the children were happy because their mom was with them all the time. Now I have to explain to them why their mother can't make it to dinner and why the nanny is bringing them home from school."

"What's she telling them?" Pat wanted to know.

"That her job is very important and that she wants to be able to give them a good life."

"That's typical!" Pat exclaimed. "She's trying to get the children on her side. She tells them that she's the one bringing home all the money."

"Exactly! It's as if my job wasn't worth anything!"

Tony was listening intently to the exchange of the two brothers. He knew that they'd both had negative experiences and that their view might not be neutral, but then he wondered what he would do if he and Kate had a baby and she asked him to stay with the child while she went back to NCIS. He definitely wouldn't do that! But would Kate stay at home? He wouldn't want a nanny to raise his children either.

Tony listened to Pat going on about how his wife had taken the house and the car after their divorce and was still asking money from him. At the same time Cam was complaining about his wife spending too much money on clothes. "She says it's her money and she can do what she wants with it. I think she only wants to impress that colleague of hers, that banker guy."

"What?" Pat seemed surprised. "You think she's having an affair?"

"I…uh…no," Cam stuttered. "But she's doing so much overtime and she's always talking about that guy when she's home."

"Did you ask her about it?"

"She says there isn't anything between them."

"That's what they all say!" Pat spat out.

"You know, just because she has a male colleague doesn't mean she has feelings for him," Tony interrupted. He didn't want Cam to make the same mistake he'd made with Kate. "You should trust her more."

"That sounds like you don't know women very well," Pat said.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "I know Sharon. She doesn't seem like a person who'd cheat on her husband."

"Most women don't seem…" Pat started, but was interrupted by his brother.

"Shut up, Pat!" Cam said coldly. "Tony's right, Sharon's not a cheater."

Pat merely shrugged. Some minutes later he went outside to smoke a cigarette and call his daughter.

"Can I ask you something?" Cam wanted to know when he was alone with Tony.

"Sure."

"You and Kate – have you ever had any problems? I mean real problems."

Tony was feeling uneasy because of the question. But he wanted to help, so he nodded his head.

"And what about?" Cam asked.

"I was jealous because of that colleague of hers when she was in the Secret Service. We had some huge arguments. One night she threw a vase at me and then walked out on me."

Cam blew some air out between his front teeth, making a whistling sound. "Man, I had no idea. How did you work that out?"

"We talked about it, apologized to each other – decided to trust each other more."

"I don't think Sharon is having an affair."

"That's good."

"But what am I supposed to do about that other thing? I don't want to give up my job. I couldn't. My job gives me the feeling that I'm doing something for my family."

"Have you told her that?"

Cam shrugged. "Her career is very important to her. She's just like Kate. Do you think Kate would give up her job?"

Tony chuckled. "No way."

"Then what would you do?"

"I dunno." Tony sighed. "I'm sorry, Cam, I don't know how I can help you."

"That's okay, man." Cam patted his shoulder.

"Just…maybe one thing," Tony said. "If you really love her, don't let her go."

* * *

Kate was peeling potatoes in the kitchen and was leading a half-hearted conversation with her mother about her new aerobic class for women over 50, while thoughts about her talk with Sharon were taking most of her attention.

All the time she was asking herself the same question: what would she do if she were in the same situation? Would she give up her job? Would Tony stay at home if she asked him to? Would she even want him to? Her career was important to her, but she imagined that it must be a hard choice between being there for her children and working on her career. Maybe an impossible one.

What she couldn't accept – and what was making her feel indignant – was the thought that Tony might take for granted that she would stay at home one day and be a nice little housewife. Tony always tended to show off his masculine side and he often uttered very conservative ideas when asked about them.

Kate wasn't sure about her own opinion towards starting and raising a family. She knew that she wanted children – had always wanted them – but whenever she started to really think about a time in her life when she would be ready to be a mother she kept pushing that moment off into the future. She had just found a job she liked and she didn't think that with children she would continue working as an NCIS field agent. Not because she wanted to give up work altogether, but because she couldn't justify to herself working in a dangerous job like that when there were children depending on her; she simply couldn't.

* * *

At 2 p.m. the family gathered around the large dining table and after the prayer, the meal started. Pat seemed to be in an even darker mood than Cam; Tony guessed he was still bothered by thoughts about his ex-wife. And he should be proven right. A few minutes into the meal, Pat started talking about an article he had read somewhere.

"It said that when men are denied their traditional position as provider for the family, they lose the foundation of their existence. I think women should be happy not to have to work."

Kate stared at her brother in disbelief. At the same time she thought that this was something that might come out of Tony's mouth in one of his chauvinistic moments. She looked at Tony, but he kept his eyes fixed on his plate while stuffing turkey into his mouth.

Kate's mother asked Pat not to start such discussions at the table, but Cam said that he'd like to discuss the matter.

"What about you, Mom?" Pat wanted to know. "You stayed at home and took care of us. Did you ever want to get a job?"

"That was in a completely different time," Kate's father threw in. "If we were still young today, she might want to get a job, wouldn't you, Pam?"

"Uh…I don't know," Pam stuttered. "We've always had enough money for a living."

"It's not about the money," Kate said. "At least, not only about money. Women have a right to work if they feel that a family is not everything they need for a fulfilled life."

"But for many women, family can be fulfilling."

Kate looked up, surprised. She would have expected her mother to say that, but the person who'd spoken was Tony.

"That's no reason why every woman has to be put into the same category," she threw back. "Not all of us are perfect housewives by nature."

"I'm only saying that if one has to stay at home, it's usually the woman. Not because she is forced to by her husband, but because she chooses to do it – for the family."

"I can't believe you're saying this," Kate said, shaking her head.

Kate and Tony spoke very little for the rest of the meal. Pam repeated that she didn't want this discussion at her table and this time, everyone agreed.

After the meal, Kate's mother started clearing the table and her husband gave her a hand. Kate also wanted to help, but Tony put a hand on her arm and held her back. "Let me do it," he said. "You go sit down with your brothers."

Kate didn't argue and watched Tony follow her parents into the kitchen.

Half an hour later he came into the living room, where Kate was sitting with her brothers and was telling the story of their mummy case. Tony sat down next to her on the armrest of her comfy chair. She glanced at him, but quickly looked away again.

Tony sighed, took her hand and pulled her with him, up the stairs and into their room.

"What are we doing here?" Kate wanted to know when Tony had closed the door.

"Talking," Tony replied, sitting down on the bed.

"About?"

"You know what."

Kate leaned with her back against the door, refusing to show her agreement by sitting down next to him. "I think you've made your point very clear," she said, staring at him.

"We're going to have children one day, aren't we?" Tony asked.

Kate was surprised, to say the least, to hear him ask such a question.

"I hope so," she answered.

"But how are we going to handle it?" he wanted to know. "Are we going to take them to work with us? Leave them down in the lab with Abby? I'm sure she'd love it, but what would Gibbs say? Or should we let them play under our desks? We could make Gibbs their godfather then he can't fire us."

"Tony, stop being such a cynic," Kate groaned.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Tony sounded really unhappy. Kate left her spot next to the door and came over to the bed, where she sat down close to Tony. "I've been thinking about it too," she said.

"And?"

"And I'm not giving up work, not even for a baby."

"But…"

"Let me finish," she said quickly, interrupting him. "I said I'm not giving up work, but that doesn't mean that I'm not ready to compromise. I like working – it makes me feel independent, at least economically. That doesn't mean I'm going to hunt criminals while pushing a stroller."

Tony laughed. "I'm sure Gibbs would love that."

Kate smiled. "I don't have this all planned out yet, but I know that there are a lot of possibilities for us which won't make either of us unhappy.

"Maybe we should make a plan – one of these days."

"Yeah," Kate smiled at him. "Maybe we should."

When Tony leaned in, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. They lay down on the bed and Kate curled up to Tony's side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Kate?" Tony whispered, kissing her temple. "You know I'm not a chauvinist, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"But, Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't like the feeling that family may not be enough for you – that I may not be enough."

"Aww, Tony!" Kate sighed, lifting her head to kiss him again. "You know I could do without almost anything – but not without you."

That made a huge grin appear on Tony's face. "That's good to know," he said.

"Yeah…you know what's also good to know?"

"What?"

"That you screamed like a girl when you saw that iguana!"

"Kate!"

Kate laughed. "The next time we get into a discussion about equality, you might want to think twice about everything you say," she threatened, "because I've got a very embarrassing story on my side now!"


	24. The Nightmare Begins

**Chapter 24: The nightmare begins**

"_You've never had a nightmare? Not even as a kid?"_

"_Nope. No fear of the dark, or a boogeyman in my closet."_

Kate was curled up in bed, the blanket pulled up to her chin. She was shivering. She had taken a bath in almost boiling hot water, but she still felt chilled to the bone. The lamp on her bedside table was on and there was light falling into the room through the door of the bedroom, which stood slightly ajar, but the room still seemed to be full of dark corners.

When she heard the familiar sound of Tony's footsteps on the stairs, she was relieved. Seconds later the door opened more and Kate turned to reach out for Tony. But she froze in her movement, paralyzed by a sudden panic. There he stood, in the middle of her bedroom, smiling that unwavering smile of his: the terrorist who had held Ducky, Gerald, and her hostage in autopsy all day; the bastard who had put a slug into Gerald's shoulder; who had hurt Gibbs and escaped. He had come back for her! His gun was pointed at her and she could see in his eyes the same determination she had seen there that morning when she had known that he would kill her without hesitation if she gave him any reason for it.

"Where's Tony?" she asked, fear clouding her vision. Tony would never have let that bastard get to her, not without putting up a fight. Oh god!

"It's only the two of us now, dear little Caitlin," the terrorist said, lifting the barrel of the gun and pointing it at her head. She saw his finger pulling the trigger and heard the shot that meant her end…

Kate jerked awake with a loud scream, throwing the blanket off and already climbing out of bed before the realization that it had only been a dream reached her consciousness. The room looked exactly like she had seen it in her dream, with the lamp on the bedside table on and the door standing slightly ajar. She could hear hurried footsteps on the stairs and an instant later, Tony hurried into the room, finding her sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers kneading her pillow.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly, walking over to her and kneeling down in front of her. "Kate?" He reached for her hands and tried to catch her gaze with his eyes.

"Nothing," she whispered. "It was only a dream."

He lifted his hand and stroked over her hair. "Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"What did you dream?"

She shook her head. "Just a nightmare."

"I thought you don't have nightmares," he said, trying to lighten the mood. When he saw that it didn't work, he sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

"He can't hurt you anymore, Kate," Tony whispered to her. "He's gone."

"I'm not scared of that bastard," Kate said.

"You're not?" Tony asked. "Well, I was scared today."

Kate turned her head so that her forehead was resting on the side of Tony's neck. "What was terrible wasn't the fear of what he might do to me," she said quietly. "I just hate feeling helpless. And that's what I was. There was nothing I could do to fight him, not even when…"

"When what?" Tony asked, alarmed.

Kate closed her eyes, not wanting to think of it anymore, but she couldn't shut the memories out.

"You haven't told me yet what happened down there," Tony reminded her. "Only the most important things. Can you talk about it?"

Kate knew that Tony was still freaked because tonight, back at HQ, she had let slip that down in autopsy she had gotten very close to the terrorist, close enough to stab him with a knife. She knew that he was still thinking about it because he kept asking her questions.

"What do you want to know?" Kate asked.

"Everything. From the beginning."

"Okay," Kate whispered. "Right from the beginning…he got me right after I realized that something was wrong down in autopsy. Ducky had called me Abby on purpose. I wanted to go back up and alert you, but before I reached the elevator he was there and pointed his gun at me. I didn't even have time to pull my Sig; I hadn't seen it coming. He asked when lab rats had started carrying guns – he must have seen my gun through the window and so he knew I wasn't Abby. Then I had to go into autopsy and lie down on one of the tables so he could search me for more weapons."

Only to think of it made her clench her fists. Tony noticed and looked into her face imploringly. "What is it?"

He had made her lie face down with her fingers laced behind her head. His hands had been moving slowly down her body, touching every inch of her, and Kate had shuddered with disgust. When he had touched the insides of her thighs, she'd felt the strong urge to kick him, hurt him as much as possible, but she'd known that he was still the one with the gun. She'd closed her eyes when the feeling of her complete helplessness had made her stomach constrict.

"I hated being touched by him," she said quietly.

The expression on Tony's face changed immediately. Before, it had been worried and gentle; now it was contorted with anger. "I am going to kill that bastard!" he growled. "I'll tell Gibbs to leave him for me when he finds him. I'll personally put a bullet in his head!"

"Tony, calm down," Kate said, cupping his cheek with one hand. "He didn't do anything to me – he would have, if I had given him a reason, but he didn't. It was strange, he was even kind of polite – when he wasn't threatening us. It seemed that he and Ducky had some things in common."

"The situation with the knife you were talking about?" Tony said. "What was that?"

"He was testing me. He had these rules: no lying, no tricks. He left a scalpel lying openly on a table, daring me to take it. Ducky warned me that it was a trick, but I took it anyway. When he came back into my reach, I tried to stab him, but I wasn't quick enough."

Kate wasn't sure what had happened in that moment. Why hadn't she stabbed him? Had she not been quick enough? Or had there been some kind of hesitation? She couldn't remember. She only knew that normally, it wasn't easy to disarm her like that.

"Look I'm sorry for what I said about Stockholm syndrome," Tony said. "It was stupid and definitely the last thing you needed to hear."

Kate was still shuddering violently at the memory of her body being pressed up against the terrorist's and his moist breath on her face. She should have stabbed him when she'd had the chance.

"It's okay," she told him. "I can't understand it myself. I should have been quicker."

"Hey, not even Gibbs was quick enough to get him," Tony reminded her.

"That's true." Kate rubbed her right palm over her forehead and suppressed a yawn.

"You should try to get some sleep," Tony said. "We've been up all night searching Qassam's apartment and it definitely was a long day."

Kate nodded, letting Tony hold up the blanket for her so she could slip under it. He lied down next to her, kissing her forehead. "Do you think you'll be able to sleep?"

"Yeah, with you here," she whispered.

When Kate had fallen asleep, Tony was still lying awake, watching over her. To say today had been a hard day was a huge understatement. Finding out that they had a hostage situation down in autopsy and that Kate was in there had been a huge shock. Of course he knew that she was capable of taking care of herself, but the unknown of this situation – how many bad guys were there, what did they want, what would they use their hostages for? – had been really hard to take. When he'd been inside the stairwell down in the basement and had seen Kate run past the doors inside autopsy he'd almost jumped up to run to her rescue.

He still wasn't sure how much that experience was really weighing on Kate. Some minutes she seemed to be okay and just like her usual self, but then again she seemed to be really jumpy, almost a bit paranoid. And then the nightmare she'd just had. He was also a bit worried about the way she'd let him hug her when they'd met back in the bullpen tonight. He had been kneeling next to her chair, talking quietly to her. When she'd put her arms around his neck and he'd hugged her back, she'd simply slid down from her chair, ending up on his lap, both of them sitting on the floor. There'd never been any public displays of affection between them in the office so far, but this time they just hadn't cared. When Gibbs had come in, he hadn't even mentioned the position of his two agents.

If Kate was letting go of her normally very strict rules for their interaction, the whole situation must really be bothering her.

Tony gently stroked Kate's hair, careful not to wake her up. That bastard was still out there. It was unlikely they would ever hear from him again, but the idea that they hadn't gotten him was still worrying Tony. If that guy ever came near Kate again, he would kill him!

* * *

The next day at the office they learned that whenever they'd said that Gibbs was pissed off in the past, they'd had no idea what they were talking about because today, Gibbs was really – really! – pissed. He was already sitting behind his desk when Kate and Tony arrived and they noticed that on one of his screens the picture of the terrorist was pulled up and being compared to all the pictures of criminals in the database. Gibbs' arm was still in a sling, there was a giant cup of coffee standing in front of him and Tony was sure that if he just looked close enough he'd be able to see the smoke rising from Gibbs' nostrils, just like Daffy Duck when he was angry.

"Kate, the director wants you to go and see a navy shrink today," was his answer to their "good morning". "You and Ducky are both scheduled for a session today."

"What? Why?" Kate asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Standard procedure after involvement in a hostage situation," Gibbs growled. "14:00, today. No field duty without clearance from the shrink."

"Yes, Gibbs," Kate sighed, sinking into her chair.

Damn! She hated those forced sessions whenever someone in a leading position thought that an agent had been traumatized. Why couldn't they leave it to the agents if they wanted help with a situation or not? She was okay! She was used to dangerous situations – she was trained to come to terms with dangerous situations. Yesterday had been a scary experience, but she was perfectly capable of handling it herself. And she definitely didn't want to talk about it with a complete stranger.

Kate noticed that Tony was trying to catch her gaze and sent him a small smile. "It's okay," she mouthed, and switched on her computer. She'd go there, convince the psychologist that she was fine and go back to work.

The psychologist, Dr. Dixon, was a woman in her mid-forties with dark blond hair and a friendly expression. She asked Kate to sit down on a small couch and took a seat in an armchair opposite her with a notepad on her lap. Then Dr. Dixon looked at Kate and smiled, but didn't say a word.

Kate had had her fair share of psychology classes in college. She knew that Dr. Dixon wanted to make her talk freely to see what was on her mind.

"The director sent me here to talk about the incident that occurred yesterday," Kate started. "I'm sure you know about it?"

"I know the most important facts," Dr. Dixon confirmed. "But I'd like to hear your version of what happened."

"Okay," Kate agreed and started to tell the whole story. She mixed in observations about her own feelings at certain points, but didn't go into too much detail.

"That sounds like one hell of a day," the psychologist concluded when Kate had finished.

Kate smiled politely.

"May I ask you a question?"

"I guess that's why I'm here," Kate said.

"What do you feel at the thought that this terrorist is still out there?"

Kate hesitated. She thought of the nightmare she'd had last night, about her sudden panic, about her latest dislike of dark corners.

"I am convinced that we'll get him in the end," she answered.

"That was not my question," Dr. Dixon said patiently. "What do you feel?"

"Okay…I feel…angry because that man, that terrorist, hurt Mr. Jackson. And I don't feel proud of myself for letting myself get caught by him in the first place – I would have been of more use outside of autopsy, but I wasn't careful enough and he got me."

"Are you scared that a situation like this might occur again?"

Kate waited for a couple of seconds, pretending to really be thinking about it to put more weight on her answer. "I know that I am working in a dangerous job," she finally said. "What happened yesterday wasn't a pleasant experience, but I got out of it and I think that I've learned something from it for the future."

Dr. Dixon let her go shortly after that. She said that Kate was cleared to go back to field duty.

* * *

At home, Kate spent an hour complaining about the stupid and useless rules that forced unwanted counseling sessions on agents. They weren't kindergarten teachers!

When Tony told her that she looked hot when she was angry, he made her stop rambling, but earned an annoyed glare. Kate wasn't in the mood for this kind of flirting.

"I'm taking a bath!" she announced, leaving Tony behind in the living room.

The hot water lightened her mood within minutes and Kate started to relax. She called her sister-in-law, Sharon, on the cordless phone that she had taken with her and talked to her for almost an hour. Sharon and Cam were getting along better now. They were seeing a marriage counselor twice a week and it was obviously working for them.

When Kate had finished her phone call, she added more hot water, leaned back her head and closed her eyes. She shouldn't be so annoyed because of her date with the shrink today. It had worked out for her after all and she was cleared to go back into the field. She just wondered if Dr. Dixon even knew anything about the things she had been talking about today. What could a psychiatrist know about situations where your life was at risk? Asking people questions about how they were feeling – anyone could do that! But you could only give real advice if you had faced the barrel of a gun being pointed at your head and had gotten out of it. Kate had been shot at before, other guns had been aimed at her and she had learned to move on afterwards. She should be the one counseling others, not the other way round! "Why should a hostage situation be so different from other dangerous situations?" Kate thought. But that was only the stubborn side of her brain speaking. The rational side admitted that there really was a difference. She was feeling different.

After having come out of other dangerous situations she had felt relieved, glad that she was alive – sad if other people hadn't been so lucky, but still proud to have come out of it. This time she didn't feel relieved, not one bit. They hadn't caught the terrorist. Nobody had died, but that had been pure luck, not the result of good work on their side – and certainly not her achievement. She hadn't done anything at all to stop the terrorist, hadn't even been able to stab him when she'd had the chance. If only she could get a second chance, she wouldn't hesitate this time.

She imagined being in the same situation. She saw herself carefully taking the scalpel off the table. She ignored Ducky's warning not to do it and waited for the terrorist to come closer again, her blood rushing in her ears because her heart rate had doubled within seconds. She'd only have one chance, only this one opportunity to end it. It had to be now or they would all die in this room. She saw the man turn around and walk towards her. When he came closer, she could see his eyes again. There was something about those eyes that made a cold shiver run down her spine. What she saw in his brown orbs was difficult to label. It wasn't pure cruelty, and it wasn't cold indifference either. If it had to be given a name, she'd call it determination - and it scared her. Because she knew that this man wouldn't let himself be stopped.

When he approached her, his eyes almost daring her, Kate's fingers closed around the scalpel more tightly. The moment he came into her reach, she lashed out with her weapon, aiming at his chest. But he was faster. He caught her wrist and held her, effortlessly, so it seemed. He slowly wound the scalpel out of her fingers and brought it to her neck. When his eyes met hers, she knew that he was going to kill her. Instincts took over: Kate tried to jump back and free herself from his grasp…

Water spilled over the edge of the tub and made a splashing sound on the floor. Kate swore silently when she saw the inundation in her bathroom. She had been so deep in thought that her body had reacted to the dangerous situation her brain had conjured; she had tried to really jerk away from the knife in her fantasy and had made the water spill over. Great, just great! Her daydreams were already taking over, what was going to be next?

Frustrated, she got out of the tub and put on her bathrobe, already feeling cold again. She took a large towel out of the cupboard and started to soak up the water on the floor.

A knock on the door almost made her jump out of her skin, but of course it was only Tony. He opened the door slightly and peeked in, saw what she was doing and grinned. "Were you having a pool party without me?" he asked.

"If you aren't going to help me, just shut up, okay?" Kate snapped.

Tony stared at her for a moment before simply turning around and leaving. Kate sighed. He really hadn't deserved that.

Staring at the soaking wet towel on the floor, Kate considered finishing her work first, but then she sent it all to hell and ran after Tony. He was already sitting on the couch in the living room again and zipping through the channels. Kate sat down next to him and looked at his profile. He was ignoring her.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said. "You caught me in the wrong moment."

"Wrong moment?" He was still looking at the screen.

Kate thought about her stupid – but scary – daydream. It already seemed to be far gone.

"I'm having a bad day," she answered. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Tony muttered, not making it sound very convincing.

Kate sighed and left the living room to get dressed. When she came back downstairs, Tony was watching a movie, still not paying attention to her. Not in the mood to argue with him now, Kate went into the kitchen and took the dishes out of the dishwasher. The trash needed to be taken out too. It had used to be Tony's task, but ever since Thanksgiving and their argument about female emancipation he kept teasing her that she was also using sexist ideas on him, expecting him to be the one who had to take out the trash.

So, when she had finished stacking the plates in the cupboard over the sink, she took the bag out of the trash can and carried it out the back door of the kitchen. On the way back into the house, she stopped for a moment and looked up into the sky. It was a clear night and the air was fresh. Strangely enough it didn't make her feel as cold as the air inside the house.

Suddenly she heard a scraping sound right behind her and she spun around, her hand moving to her right hip, where she usually carried her gun. All her senses were on alert as she stared into the darkness, trying to find out what was hiding in the shadows. Was it him? Had he come back for her?

Kate took a deep shaky breath. "Is anyone there?" she asked, hearing the trembling in her voice.

First there was no answer at all, but then she heard a cheerful "meow" and one of the neighbor's cats stepped out of the darkness and came towards her, head and tail high in the air to greet her.

But Kate really wasn't in the mood to play entertainer for the cat now and so she hurried to get back inside. She closed the door behind her and locked it twice before leaning with her back against it and closing her eyes for a second. She was a coward. And she was an idiot to think that this man would come after her. What use would it be for him? It would be completely useless and she was only driving herself crazy.

After a short hesitation, she went into the living room and sat down next to Tony.

"What have you been doing?" he asked after some seconds, finally looking at her.

"Cleaning up the kitchen," she answered, shifting closer to him.

Tony turned slightly so he was facing her and looked into her eyes. "Are you okay?" he wanted to know.

Kate nodded, trying to smile at him, but she didn't think it was very convincing. Finally she gave in to the still very scared voice inside of her and wrapped her arms around Tony's neck. Tony pulled her closer and leaned his cheek on Kate's head. What was going on with her? Her strange behavior when they had come home, then her snapping at him in the bathroom for no reason, and now she was shivering in his arms.

He kissed her temple and brought his lips close to her ear to whisper to her, "Is it because of what happened?" he asked intelligently. He still had the suspicion that the terrorist might have done something to Kate that she wasn't willing to tell him. Again, he felt that burning hatred in his stomach. If that son-of-a-bitch had touched her, he should pray that Gibbs would get to him first, because if Tony got his hands on him…

"Why won't you tell me?" he whispered when Kate didn't answer.

"I don't know how…"

"Oh my God, that son of a…"

"No, Tony, no, it's not what you're thinking," Kate interrupted him gently. "I just don't know how to explain." She lifted her head to look at him and traced her fingers along his jaw. His eyes were on her face the entire time. "I was scared," she finally admitted. "I was feeling helpless. It's…I've felt both helpless and scared before, but this time it's…it's…I don't know! I have this terrible feeling about this guy, I have nightmares about him. Dark corners are scaring me. It's driving me crazy!"

"Do you feel threatened because he's still out there? Is that it?"

"No, it's…maybe." Kate sighed. "I'm so tired. Can't we talk about this another time?"

"Okay." Tony kissed her forehead. "Let's go to bed."

But she was already half asleep in his arms, so Tony carefully lifted her up to carry her up the stairs. He hated that she obviously was so scared. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how. All the promises to protect her he could make would sound like a lie because he hadn't been able to protect her the first time. Kate was right, it was unlikely that they ever saw that terrorist again, but what if he came back? What if he took her again? It wasn't difficult to imagine what Kate was going through at the moment. Tony also had his demons to fight. It was hard for him to accept that there were situations in which he couldn't protect the woman he loved.

His greatest fear was that, one day, something terrible might happen to Kate and he wouldn't be fast enough to save her.


	25. Missing

_A/N: Yes, I'm back. I'm sorry I was gone for so long, I wasn't planning on leaving this story open. So here's my try at one of my favorite episodes. I haven't had it beta'd because I wanted to post it right away, so all the mistakes are mine alone. Hope you still like!_

**Chapter 25****: Missing**

"Ah, you know, I think the prank itself was a genius idea."

"Just too bad it ended fatally."

"No, Kate, seriously, he's right: faking a UFO landing, an alien getting out – it's brilliant!"

Kate looked at Abby and Tony, who both had sparkling eyes. They were talking about a case from last week where four guys had played a practical joke on their best friend, one of them dressing up as an alien, resulting in the death of the alien-guy. Abby and Tony seemed to be completely fascinated by the idea – and Kate was starting to get tired of telling them that it was a childish idea that had ended very badly.

"You want some more coffee, Abby?" she asked. It was a Saturday afternoon and they had invited Abby to their house.

Taking Abby's mug, Kate went into the kitchen, just when Tony said: "I wonder when we'll see Agent McGee again. Do you know if he believes in aliens?"

"Tony!" Abby said warningly, and Kate grinned. Timothy McGee, the young agent that had helped them in one of their cases some weeks ago really was on Tony's mind. He mentioned him whenever a computer geek, an intelligent person, or computers in general were part of one of his jokes. But Abby liked the young agent very much and Tony had already earned himself one or the other headslap. When Kate returned into the living room with fresh coffee, she could see on Tony's face that his head had had another painful encounter with Abby's hand.

"Abby hit me!" he complained immediately.

"Poor baby!" Kate cooed and kissed Tony on the head, giving Abby a wink.

She sat down next to Abby on the couch and listened to Tony and Abby bickering like little children. Kate was feeling a lot better than she had a week ago. The fear that had settled in her stomach had diminished day by day and all that was left of it by now was her hurt pride and a slight feeling of uneasiness whenever she thought of her experience down in Autopsy. Gibbs and Ducky, on the contrary, were still obsessed with the terrorist. Gibbs still had his picture pulled up on one of his screens at all times and she knew that he and Ducky were talking about the man because Abby had overheard them once. Frankly speaking, she was glad when she didn't have to talk about the incident anymore and with every day that passed her conviction grew that they would never see that man again.

In the office, everything was back to normal, except for Gerald Jackson missing and Gibbs being grumpier than he usually was. But with NCIS, the next encounter with death was never far away: a few days later, news of Agent Pacci's, one of their colleagues', death hit them all hard. Tony was particularly shaken up about it, but was soon distracted by the stakeout they had to do in the investigation. Kate was expecting some stupid prank from him almost every minute and was really surprised that none came. Maybe Tony was too busy drooling after the woman they were observing – who turned out to be a man in the end. Kate hadn't had so much fun in ages and she wasn't planning on ever letting him hear the end of this!

Tony had actually gone as far as accompanying the "woman" to a bar. Kate suspected that he had been trying to make her jealous – which was one of his favorite pastimes. But in the bar, his date had gotten so obtrusive that Tony had had the hardest of times keeping her off of him. Kate had been quite jealous, but only until they had found out that Tony's lady was in fact a guy and the suspect they had been looking for. Now she could tease him endlessly for heaving tried to make her jealous by hitting on a guy!

She didn't know then that within two days of that incident she would regret having made fun of him.

Their next case was that of Marine Gunnery Sergeant Bill Atlas gone missing. Police found his pickup in the parking lot behind a country bar, where – of course – Tony found another waitress to hit on. What really surprised – and bugged – Kate was that this waitress seemed inclined to return Tony's efforts. She flattered her eyelashes at him all the time and was flirting quite openly with him.

When Tony had followed Gibbs out of the bar, Kate stayed behind to ask some more questions, but the waitress seemed more interested in Tony than in the case. At first, Kate wanted to tell this woman flat out that Tony was taken. She was pissed at her because she was hitting on her husband, but also because no woman should be such a cheap flirt. But she knew from experience that Tony's way of treating female witnesses could be very useful for a case. So she didn't say anything. And really, one hour later, Tony had gotten the waitress to remember some more details about the woman their missing sergeant had last been seen with and in the end they even had a name.

Kate could see by the grin on Tony's face that he was about to start bragging in front of her, so she poked him in the chest with her right index finger. "Don't push it, Tony", she threatened.

Their investigation led them to Quantico, which gave Gibbs the opportunity to put their lives in danger during an hour of reckless driving over back roads. Kate hadn't felt so sick in her entire life!

But the day didn't improve much after they were back at headquarters because Gibbs gave them work to do that would keep them in the office all night. Around 8 p.m. they took a break, ordered pizza and ate it in the office. Abby was off to some party, so they were alone. Kate was hoping for some peaceful moments with Tony, some talking or just companionable silence, but she should be mistaken.

"I can't believe Gibbs let Abby go just like this," Kate said, putting down the piece of vegetable pizza she had been eating to reach for her soda. "Do you think he would allow me to take the evening off only because I was invited someplace?"

Tony snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

Kate pulled a face, but decided that she simply had to accept that not all the rules applied to Abby as they did to the rest of the team.

"This case here is weird," she said to change the subject. "So many past connections involved. I don't really see through it."

Kate watched Tony take a huge bite of his double salami pizza. He seemed to be thinking. Kate thought that maybe he was coming up with something useful, but she should know better by now.

"You were alone with that waitress for quite some time this morning," he remembered. "What exactly did she say about me?"

"I can't believe you!" Kate glared at him. Why did he always have to do that? She knew they had that look-but-don't-touch agreement, and Tony wasn't actually offending it, but it was really starting to piss her off how he made use of it.

"Aren't you even a bit worried?" Kate asked defensively.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that after your last encounter with a redhead you might have become more careful."

Tony pouted. "Can't you let that rest?"

Kate shrugged. "Can't you stop trying to make me jealous?"

"I'm not! I'm only talking up those women because it often helps the case."

"Yeah, sure, that's why you wanted to know what that waitress said about you, right?"

"No, it's because…because…" Tony had obvious difficulty finding a good argument.

Kate listened to his stammering for a while before cutting him off. "You know, Tony, I'm starting to rethink that silent agreement we have," she said coldly. "Why do you have to drool after every woman that passes you on the street? I know, looking doesn't hurt anybody, but I'm starting to wonder why looking at me can't be enough for you."

With that, she marched back to her computer and started hitting random buttons on the keyboard with much more force than necessary. Tony was watching her from behind his desk. He didn't say anything, but she could feel that he was taken aback.

Kate knew she shouldn't be so mad. She knew enough psychology to look right through Tony's childish behavior. He was a man who needed to know that he still had the ability to talk up women and he also needed to make sure that he was still able to make Kate jealous. It was about self-esteem. But the fact that she knew this didn't make her feel any better. He had always had the ability to drive her up the walls and he knew exactly which buttons to push with her. And at some point it simply became too much for her and the best way for her to vent was to show Tony very clearly where the limits of her patience were.

* * *

She had sworn to herself some time ago not to pass another night on the office floor underneath her desk. Still that was where she was woken up the next morning by Tony shouting her name. Gibbs was already there and asking for their findings. So they reported that most of the men who had served together with their missing sergeant on the Philippines in 1992 were also missing, a very strange coincidence. This made Sergeant Atlas' former CO, Major Sacco, one of their prime suspects.

Tony volunteered to tail the Major for a day so they could find out more about him. Kate thought that this was a good idea and suggested that she come with him, but Gibbs wanted to keep her in the office because he needed her for more research.

Before Tony left, he came to her desk and looked at her for a couple of seconds. Kate could see that he was feeling bad because of what she'd said yesterday and so she decided to be nice.

"Be careful, okay?" she told him. "For all we know, the Major could be a serial killer."

"Don't worry. He won't even notice I'm there." He winked at her. "I'll be in touch. See ya later!"

"Bye," Kate said, watching him leave the bullpen. She wasn't really worried. Tony was a capable agent even though he sometimes made it look like all he did was fooling around.

Tony called in every hour, but he didn't have much to tell them during the day because Major Sacco was on duty at the base. This gave Kate the possibility to spend some time in Abby's lab. The young goth seemed even giddier than usual and Kate soon found out that Abby was still suffering the aftermath of far too many red bulls at the party last night. She tried talking to her for a while, but Abby was making her nervous and so Kate decided to get back to work.

In the evening, Tony followed Major Sacco in his car, supposing he was going home for the night. Kate was sitting at her desk when Gibbs made a call to check on Tony and she listened in. She was surprised to hear that Sacco was going to the bar where Sergeant Atlas had last been seen.

"That's suspicious," she said, when Gibbs had hung up the phone.

"Yeah, we might be on to something here."

"Shouldn't we go there, too, then? If Sacco really is the person we're looking for, Tony could face some problems."

Gibbs looked at her, considering her words, then got up. "Let's go."

* * *

Tony had followed Major Sacco into the bar and was now sitting at the counter where he could watch the Major out of the corner of his eye. He ordered a ginger ale and had just taken a sip when the pretty waitress from this morning appeared beside him. Tony smiled at her, but merely in a friendly way, not flirtatiously. He liked flirting with beautiful women, but more as something to show off or to tease Kate with. He would never have dreamed of going to a bar at night on his own and chatting up some woman. Kate knew that, of course. He also knew what she was angry about, she had been very clear the last night. She knew he wouldn't cheat on her but he guessed she was jealous of the attention he gave other women. He couldn't quite understand that, though. He didn't flirt with other women the way he flirted with her and he didn't look at them the way he looked at her, not because he was consciously trying to draw a line, but because he wasn't interested in other women the way he was interested in Kate. There were a lot of beautiful women around, but none of them had that spark in their eyes or that silky glow on their skin. Some women he met were also really good at flirting, but they didn't have Kate's charm, nor wits.

Plus, no other woman smelled as good as Kate, he thought, when he caught a whiff of the waitress' perfume, not unpleasant at all, but artificial, not at all like Kate, who smelled of honey and flowers.

Over his contemplation Tony almost missed how Major Sacco stood up and left the bar. He hurriedly threw some bills on the counter and followed the Major out. He was only a couple of seconds behind him, but when Tony stepped out into the parking lot, he couldn't see Sacco anywhere. Dammit!

He took out his phone and pressed speed dial to call Gibbs. The boss would be really pissed at him.

"Tony, what's going on?" Gibbs said instead of a greeting.

"I lost Sacco," Tony said. He was still looking around in the parking lot and wanted to go around the next corner, but a sudden surge of nausea held him back. "Whoa!" he muttered.

"Tony? What's wrong?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"I'm not feeling so well, boss." Tony stumbled as the world drifted in and out of focus. Something was terribly wrong. "I think I screwed up, boss," he managed to say before his legs stopped working and he collapsed.

* * *

When Gibbs' cell phone rang, they were only a couple of streets away from the bar. Kate watched him pick it up and answer it while steering the car with the other hand and doubling a small truck, whose driver was honking furiously.

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, a frown on his forehead. Then he said: "Tony? What's wrong?" And he sounded really worried saying it.

"Gibbs?" Kate asked, alarmed.

"DiNozzo, dammit! We'll be there in a second."

He thrust the phone at Kate and floored the gas pedal. "What happened?" Kate shouted.

"Tony's in trouble. We've been interrupted."

"What? What did he say?"

"Nothing, he said he screwed up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Gibbs didn't answer. He kept his eyes on the road and on the oncoming cars, which were trying to get out of the way when he doubled a city bus. Five minutes later they shot onto the parking lot of the bar, came to a screeching halt and jumped out of the car, guns at the ready.

Kate's pulse was hammering in her ears as she looked around, searching for Tony. She couldn't see him, so she shouted his name. No answer. She shouted again, feeling desperate.

"Kate, over here," Gibbs said from a couple of feet away.

She ran over to see what he was looking at and saw a cell phone lying on the ground.

"That's Tony's!" she exclaimed.

To be sure, Gibbs turned it around using a glove and pressed re-dial. Almost immediately his own phone started to ring.

Kate was feeling dizzy. There was no doubt that whoever had kidnapped Gunnery Sergeant Atlas and had killed all his former team members now also had Tony.

"Sacco," Gibbs snarled.

Kate's jaw clenched. That son of a bitch! She should never have listened to Gibbs when he told her to stay at the headquarters. She should have gone with Tony!

"He can't have gotten far with Tony yet," she reasoned. "Tony called only five minutes ago. We have to shut down the area and…"

"That would take too long. With no idea in which direction they're going we don't have a chance of closing them in."

"But we…" Kate didn't finish, she knew that it was pointless, the kidnapper had gotten away. But then another thought came to her and it drew all the air from her lungs: why would Sergeant Atlas' kidnapper take Tony alive? What use was a living NCIS agent to him? Wasn't it a lot easier to kill him and hide the body?

Gibbs, who had watched the color drain from Kate's face, stepped close in front of her and stared into her eyes. "Kate, I need you to pull yourself together," he said fiercely. "You're no use to Tony if you start to panic now."

Kate closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing for a moment. She knew that Gibbs was right and that she had to stay focused, but it was easier said than done.

She heard Gibbs swear under his breath. "Situations like this are exactly why you shouldn't date your co-worker," he grumbled. "Let alone marry them."

Kate thought that this was pretty unfair and she gave him her best death glare. Curiously enough, Gibbs seemed to relax a bit when he saw that she was still willing to stand up to him.

"Good," he said. "Now call for backup and then help me work this scene."

Kate nodded and set to work.

They found no traces except for Tony's keys, which weren't much use to them. But thank goodness they didn't find any blood either, which was a good sign. What Gibbs had told her about his last conversation with Tony sounded like Tony had somehow been drugged. This wasn't good, of course, but it could also mean that the kidnapper had meant to knock him out in order to take him alive. Kate wasn't sure how likely this was, but she held on to the idea.

She interviewed every one in the area, but no one had seen Tony. NCIS put people in Sacco's house and his car was being traced. It could only be a matter of time until they found him, right? It would all turn out alright. Kate tried not to let it show, but she was worried sick. She kept imagining what the kidnapper could have done to Tony and she was feeling so helpless that all she wanted to do was scream. But she had to keep functioning or their chances of getting Tony back would be even smaller.

When Gibbs said they had to go back to HQ, Kate felt reluctant to do so. Leaving the place where they knew Tony had last been felt like losing the last connection to him. But of course this wasn't how an investigation worked. There was nothing they could do here.

Back in the bullpen they were joined by Agent McGee, who would be helping out to get Tony back. One minute later, Abby was there too and started to drive everyone crazy by worrying out loud what things might have happened to Tony by now. Kate knew that she shouldn't take her friend too seriously all the time, but hearing her talk about all the different possibilities of how Tony could have been killed by now was more than she could bear right now. A sudden surge of longing made her want Tony back so badly that tears welled up in her eyes.

When Gibbs had had enough of Abby's ranting too, he caught Abby by the arm and made her look him in the eyes; then he pointed at Kate and Abby realized what she had been doing.

"I'm sorry, Kate," she sighed and came to give her a hug. "I was being stupid. I'm sure he's alright."

"I know he is", Kate said, not sounding very convinced, and Abby hugged her even more tightly. "We had a fight yesterday," Kate whispered very quietly. "I just wish I could tell him that I'm not mad at him."

"I'm sure he knows that," Abby assured her. "And you can tell him again when he's back."

"Are you finished?" Gibbs asked impatiently. "I think you have work to do." And with that he sent Abby and McGee down to the lab before he went to see Ducky.

There wasn't much that Kate could do now, so she spent half of the night asking for updates from the team that was in Sacco's house and looking for news on the car, while at the same time she kept investigating Sergeant Atlas' case. She didn't come up with anything that could lead to Tony's or Atlas' whereabouts and was getting really frustrated. The feeling that there wasn't anything she could do to help find Tony was weighing down on her. She wondered if he was scared or hurt or, worse, even both. She needed to get to him soon.

Thank god, in the early morning hours, Gibbs called her down to the lab because Abby had found something. She had pulled a partial finger print from the cross around one of the other victim's neck and the print matched the one on the credit card bill from Sergeant Atlas' last night in the country bar. McGee was about to explain a possible connection when Gibbs' phone rang.

When he hung up, he had great news: Sacco's car had been found! Kate sighed with relief. Finally they had a real lead!

Before she left with Gibbs, Abby gave Kate another hug. "I know you'll find him," she said. "Just be careful, alright?"

"I will," Kate promised, anxious to finally get going.

The car had been found in front of an entry to the sewer system in Manassas. The cop who met them there warned them not to go down without police dogs, but Gibbs wasn't very impressed. Kate even expected him to be a bit offended by the idea that an ex-marine could get lost. She was glad she didn't have to wait until the dogs came. She wanted to act right now! And so she followed Gibbs down into the tunnels.

Kate soon realized that she had underestimated how many tunnels existed down there. It was an actual labyrinth. She was following Gibbs and soon lost her sense of direction, but it didn't matter since she completely trusted Gibbs to be able to find the way back out. But how on earth where they supposed to find Tony down here?

And then she heard a man's voice, difficult to say from where it was coming, but he was shouting at the top of his lungs: "Gunny!" – most likely referring to Gunnery Sergeant Atlas.

Kate sighed. "Thank god, Tony's still alive!" she said. "No one else pisses people of like that."

Gibbs smirked and they went on in the direction of where they thought the shouts came from. Water was dripping from the ceiling and light came in through small gaps above their heads. It was confusing to walk from shadow into blinding sunlight every other second and the haze was getting even more complicated. But they were definitely getting closer to the person who was shouting. And then they heard something right on the other side of the wall they were walking along. There was a very small window under the ceiling and through it they heard muttering and then a voice that was unmistakably Tony's, urging someone else on.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs hissed.

"Gibbs?" Tony's face appeared behind the iron bars of the window. A sigh of relief escaped from Kate's lips and she felt a great bit of tension drain from her body. Even though there was a serial killer on the lose down here she suddenly felt happy. Tony was alive and he seemed well. She could even see him smiling behind those bars when he saw her.

"Hey, Kate, is that you?"

"Yeah. Here to save your butt, as always," she replied. "How did you get over there?"

"I'm not really sure. Atlas is here with me. He's in a pretty bad shape."

So the kidnapper must've kept Tony where he was keeping Atlas and the two had escaped together.

"Stay there," Gibbs said. "We'll work our way over to you."

"I can't, Sacco is right behind us."

"Then keep moving and we'll catch up to you."

"Okay." Tony glanced at Kate one last time – it was so good to see her! – before helping Atlas to his feet and dragging him along down the corridor. He knew that Sacco would catch up to them soon. He had to find a way out of here!

When they reached another crossing, bright daylight was flooding out of one of the tunnels. Hoping to find an exit there, Tony led Atlas into it. The tunnel led into a small room with a window in one wall, but the window was barred. Tony stopped in front of the bars and looked out into the bright sunshine. Damn it, they were so close! He wanted to try using his small knife to loosen one of the bars, but before he could do anything, he heard steps right behind them and spun around.

Sacco had found them! He stepped into the room, gun at the ready. When he saw Tony, he seemed surprised. "You?" He stepped closer. "Why didn't you stop?"

"Lower your weapon and we can talk about it," Tony said.

"What? Do you think I'm going to kill you?"

Tony wasn't sure what was going on here. Sacco was acting strangely, even for a psychopath.

"I followed her here," Sacco said. "She's completely insane." He looked at Atlas. "We have to get him out of here."

"She? Who?" Tony had no idea what was going on.

Suddenly a shot rang through the tunnel and Sacco fell to the ground. Tony stared at him and the large whole in his chest. Thank god, Gibbs and Kate had arrived and taken this maniac out! But the woman who stepped out of the tunnel then wasn't Kate. It was the waitress from the bar – and she had a gun! When she told him to drop his knife, he did it because he had just gotten proof of how serious she was. How the hell was she involved in this?

"Do you remember me, Sergeant Bill?" she asked.

"Vanessa?" Atlas gasped. "I thought…"

"That I was dead? I know. You all did, except for Sacco. He found me."

"You killed all those Marines?" Tony asked.

"Not yet." And she pointed her gun at Atlas, but Tony stepped between them to protect the man who was lying on the ground.

* * *

From the other end of the tunnel, Kate and Gibbs were watching. Kate couldn't believe it: the waitress? She listened to her telling Tony her story, but Kate didn't understand what it was about. She didn't really care much, either. All she knew was that this woman had kidnapped Tony and was now threatening him with a gun. As if Kate wasn't pissed enough at her already for having flirted with him yesterday!

Kate noticed how the waitress was getting more and more desperate. She would shoot any second now. Kate knew she had to act or Tony was dead.

She jumped out from behind the corner and aimed her gun straight at the other woman. "Drop it!" Kate shouted.

The action had been surprising enough to make Vanessa flinch and Tony used this small moment of diversion to grab her wrist and disarm her. He yanked her around and held her pinned to his body so she couldn't move. It was over so fast Kate didn't even realize at first that she could lower her weapon now. But then she reached for her handcuffs and stepped forward to take the woman into custody.

As soon as Kate had taken over Vanessa, Tony kneeled down next to Major Sacco, but it was too late, he was dead. Sergeant Atlas was in a really bad shape too. They didn't want to torture him by dragging him back through the tunnels and so Gibbs called for a medic team. With the dogs they should be here within minutes.

"You wait here until they arrive!" he told Kate and Tony before taking over the woman from Kate and leading her out, obviously heading back through the tunnels with her.

Tony, who was standing close to the window, reached out for Kate and she went to him, longing to be in his arms. "Hey, honey," he sighed, pulling her into a hug. "I'm really glad you made it in time."

Kate pressed her cheek to his, stroking the back of his neck with one hand. "What were you thinking, letting yourself get abducted?" she asked. "I was worried sick about you!"

"I'm really sorry, I'll try not to do it again," he said sheepishly.

"Okay." She squeezed him tight for a moment before letting him go. "Can you tell me what this was about? Why did she kill all these men?"

"When Sacco and the other Marines were stationed on the Philippines, they had girlfriends there. They tried to smuggle them out on the container ship they were supposed to leave on, but then they got reassigned and the women were on their own. They all starved, except for her."

"Oh my god!" Kate exclaimed.

"Yeah." It was hard to even imagine what that woman had gone through. And now she would spend the rest of her life in prison.

Kate kneeled down next to Sergeant Atlas, who seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. "The medics are going to be here soon," she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She could already hear the barking of dogs coming from the tunnels.

Two minutes later, the medic team was there. Another two minutes and outside the window two men appeared who brought the necessary tools to get the iron bars out of the way and let them out.

When Tony was finally back under the clear blue sky, he let out a deep sigh and sat down in the grass. Kate joined him and pulled him into another hug. "You're not hurt, are you?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

Tony brought one hand up to her chin and tilted her face up so he could look at her. Her brown eyes had turned a lovely hazel color in the bright sunshine and she was smiling at him, a sight that made his stomach flip. "Yeah, I'm alright," he said. "Just tired and hungry."

"Then we should get going."

"Not so fast," he said with a smile, closing the distance between them. His kiss was very soft for a moment but soon he drew her closer and Kate melted under his touch.

The last twelve hours had scared the hell out of her. So little time after her encounter with a terrorist she really hadn't needed another reminder of how dangerous their job was. And it was a different experience altogether when it wasn't yourself, who was in danger, but the person you loved. She started to understand the somber look that appeared on Tony's face whenever someone mentioned the hostage situation down in Autopsy. If he had felt as helpless then as she had felt last night, it must be terrible for him to be reminded of it.

Kate brought her hands up to cup his cheeks and slowly stopped kissing him. She looked into his eyes almost inquiringly and Tony raised his eyebrows.

"What?" he asked, smiling.

"Uh…nothing," Kate said, smiling back at him. "I love you quite a bit, you know?"

"Yes, I do know. And I feel strongly about you too." He grinned and Kate softly pinched his arm.

"Let's go now," she said, standing up and offering him her hand to help him up.

Together they started to walk back to where the car was parked in front of the entry to the sewer system.

They had walked in silence for a while, holding hands, when Tony said: "I guess it's official now: I don't have any luck when it comes to redheads."

Kate smirked.

"I've been thinking about what you said to me the other night," he continued. "And maybe what happened here…Maybe it was a sign."

Kate frowned. "A sign?"

"Yeah, I mean, how much bad luck can a guy have? I guess it's time I stopped acting foolish."

"So what? No more flirting with other women?"

"Uh…well…no?" It sounded more like a question than a statement, but it was good enough for Kate. Tony was a good guy and he was willing to make an effort – what more could she want?

She put an arm around his back, leaning into him, but then she wrinkled her nose. "It's time we get you home," she said. "You totally need a shower."

"I'm not the only one," Tony replied smugly and Kate glared at him.

"Oh, and one of us should call Agent McGee," she said. "Now that you're back he shouldn't get too comfortable at your desk."

"He what?" Tony exclaimed, outraged, and Kate snickered. He wasn't the only one who knew which buttons to push at the right time.


	26. Reveille

_A/N: Finally, the last chapter! I decided this was the right moment to end it, I hope you'll see why. I want to thank all of you for reading and giving me such nice reviews over the years - yes, years. This story just kept growing, but I always enjoyed writing it. So, here goes..._

_And thank you, Mandi, for beta-ing. I really appreciate it!_

**Chapter 26: Reveille**

It was a beautiful, late spring morning. Kate was sitting at the kitchen table, adding milk to her cup of coffee, while going through the morning paper. She was halfway through her first cup when she heard Tony come down the stairs and into the kitchen. She looked up and smiled at him. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, apparently dressed for a run before going to work.

"You sure you don't wanna come?" he asked. He came over and placed a small kiss on the corner of her mouth before stealing a sip from her coffee.

"You know I ran yesterday after work," she reminded him. "I'll just stay here and enjoy reading the paper without you stealing half of it."

"But what about giving and receiving, Kate?" he teased her. "I thought you believed in the traditional values of marriage?"

Kate looked at him for a couple of seconds before reaching out her hand. "Give me my coffee back," she said, making Tony laugh.

He bent down to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "I'd better get going now; don't wanna be late for work – again." He wanted to get up, but Kate grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back to her.

"Not so fast," she said, her lips close to his. "Tell me more about this giving and receiving thing."

Smiling, Tony kissed her again, more thoroughly this time.

"Now you can go," Kate decided after a few minutes and smoothed the front of his shirt out. "See you later."

"See you later!" he called, walking out the door.

* * *

Before leaving for work, Kate wanted to grab another cup of coffee at _DC Beans_ right around the corner from the Navy yard. She got in line and waited, watching the news on the small tv screen on the wall behind the counter. The speaker was talking about Bush and Sharon's meeting at the White House today and the peace conference they'd be attending at Camp David. It reminded Kate of her time with the Secret Service. She was sure that her former colleagues were working 24/7 on this.

She noticed that the guy who was standing right in front of her kept looking over his shoulder at her. He looked nice, wearing a well-fitting grey suit and his short brown hair slightly wavy.

"What do you think about what Sharon is doing?" he finally asked her. Was he going to try and impress her with his knowledge about Middle Eastern politics?

"Assassinating Hamas leaders or pulling settlements out of Gaza?" Kate asked, making it clear that she understood exactly what was going on.

"Either," the man said. "I'm just trying to start a conversation."

Gotcha, Kate thought and smiled politely at him, but trying not to encourage him.

"I'm John – Ag department," he introduced himself.

"Kate, NCIS," she replied.

"Really?" he seemed surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"I've never seen you. I'm in NCIS twice a month. I specialise in actuarial analysis. Hail and storm damage."

Kate had no idea what that guy was talking about. She readjusted the straps of her purse on her shoulder, trying to make him see the ring on her finger.

"What NCIS do you think I'm with?" she asked out of interest.

"National Crop Insurance Service?"

"That's us," Kate heard a deep male voice say right behind her. Surprised, she looked over her shoulder and found herself face-to-face with Gibbs. He passed through the line right behind her, touching her shoulder to make her follow him, all the while talking to John from the Ag department: "She's a whiz on how corn losses affect pork belly futures."

Kate stared after him. Why was Gibbs here? And why was he holding two cups of coffee from a rival coffee place? She excused herself and followed Gibbs to a table, feeling slightly embarrassed when he put the cups on the table in front of him. She hoped none of the employees would notice.

"Why are you bringing me coffee from your caffeine dealer two blocks away?" she asked.

"You want it or not?" Gibbs replied dryly.

"I take my coffee with milk and sweetener." _And I'm not sure if I'll survive one cup of this_, she added in her thoughts.

"Taste it," Gibbs suggested.

So Kate took a deep breath and then carefully tasted the coffee. She almost coughed when she tasted its bitterness on her tongue. "A little strong," she gasped, clearing her throat.

"Strong's better," Gibbs said, then he leaned back and looked at her. He just sat there, studying her, as if it was her turn to say something while Kate still had no idea why he was here. She nervously kneaded her hands in her lap and was even thinking about taking a second sip from the coffee, just to have something to do. Finally she gave up.

"Gibbs, you're making me nervous," she said. "I'm imagining all kinds of terrible things you're about to say. If you're going to fire me, just do it." It was meant as a joke, but when she'd said it, it didn't sound funny anymore. He wouldn't really fire her, right?

"I want you to profile a terrorist," Gibbs said, leaning forward on his chair.

At first, she didn't understand what he was talking about. "What terrorist?" she asked. But Gibb's next words made her insides grow cold:

"The one you couldn't stab."

A thousand memories flooded her all at once. The cold semi-darkness of the autopsy room; Gerald Jackson screaming in pain; cold sweat on Ducky's forehead. And the terrorist's face, smiling his cold smile. The terrorist aiming a gun at her. The terrorist disarming her. Grabbing her wrists. She remembered the clattering of the scalpel when it hit the floor. His face right in front of hers. No, she thought. _No!_ She didn't want to think of it any more. Why did Gibbs have to bring it up? Why couldn't he let it rest?

"The one I couldn't stab?" she repeated. "Did Ducky tell you that? It's not that I didn't want to, Gibbs. I wasn't fast enough. He knew I would take the scalpel. I think he waited for me to take it so he could show me how little power I had."

She didn't like the look Gibbs was giving her.

"What?" she asked. "Do you think I decided to spare his life? I didn't. I would have killed him in an instant."

"Okay," Gibbs said, giving Kate the feeling that he was humoring her. She let it go.

"Profile him," Gibbs demanded again.

She could have pretended she needed time to think about it, stall for a bit, but it would have been a lie. She had thought about the terrorist so often that she could give his profile without even having to think about it.

So she told Gibbs what she thought she knew about the man that had taken her hostage: He was not an islamic fanatic, he just wasn't the type and hadn't mentioned a word about Allah or Ji'had. His motive might be revenge for something or he was simply in it for the money. Kate also mentioned that the man liked to live large: well-groomed, manicured fingernails, perfect teeth, salon styled hair…he was also intelligent and, without a doubt, willing to take risks.

When she'd told Gibbs all that, he nodded thoughtfully. "Why did he give me a chance to kill him?" he asked. He was talking about the moment when Gibbs and the terrorist had come face to face. They had both taken a shot. Gibbs had been shot in the shoulder while the terrorist hadn't been hurt because he had been wearing a bulletproof vest.

"I could have shot him in the head," Gibbs said. "It was a huge risk to take. Why didn't he kill me in cold blood?"

"You're right. Why did he give you a shot at him?" It was true. The terrorist could have just hidden behind the door and killed Gibbs the moment he entered.

Kate hadn't expected to get an answer and was surprised to hear Gibbs speak: "He needs to face death to feel alive. Maybe to feel anything."

Kate let his words sink in and decided that they fit into her profile. It was a scary picture they had drawn because it showed a man whose actions were difficult to foresee. He wouldn't always choose the safe way; he might do something completely reckless, just for the thrill of it. He might be capable of anything.

* * *

Kate had been sitting at her desk for half-an-hour when Tony came in, a huge grin on his face.

"What made you so happy?" Kate asked.

Still smiling, Tony sat down on the edge of her desk, facing her. "You won't believe what happened to me this morning," he said, making Kate think of a five-year-old who had been given free candy.

"Do I want to know?" Kate asked, lacking enthusiasm.

But Tony either didn't hear her tone or he didn't mind because he started to explain right away: "So I was running in the park, completely minding my own business, when this woman runs past me: blond, drop-dead gorgeous with that European look, you know…"

"Do I?" Kate asked, only mildly interested.

"I didn't do anything, I swear. I mean okay, I looked, but that's all. So she runs past me, giving me that kind of look, you know, as if she wanted to say 'catch me if you can', and runs off. But I didn't follow her. A married man shouldn't run after blond European girls in the park, right?" He looked at her, waiting for some sort of praise on her part, but none came. He continued.

"Then I run around a group of trees and there she is again, running in place, obviously waiting for me. She joins me and starts talking about how she likes the US and especially American men. I couldn't believe it! She was so hitting on me!"

"Is this story going anywhere?" Kate asked, sighing.

"Um…uh…I was just about to tell you that I told her I was married. Kate, what's wrong?" He could see the small lines on her forehead she only got when something was bothering her. He lifted a hand to her face and gently touched her cheek, but only for a moment because he knew she didn't like it when he did that in the office. "Did something happen?"

"Gibbs surprised me at DC Beans this morning."

"Why? What did he want?"

"He wanted me to profile the terrorist."

"What terrorist?"

Kate gave him a look.

"Oh, that terrorist," Tony muttered, hatred in his voice. "He wanted you to profile him? Why?"

"Because Gibbs is completely fixated on him. I'm actually a bit worried about Gibbs."

"He's not fixated; he's determined," Tony contradicted her. "Like Tommy Lee Jones in _The Fugitive_, like the Duke in _The Searchers_, like Mel Gibson in _Payback_."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Honey, do you ever actually read the books I give you?"

Tony smirked, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Kate, determined is good in a cop."

"Not when it turns into obsession! Seriously, Tony, he just won't let it rest. And I really don't feel like going over every tiny detail over and over again. It's freaking me out."

"But you also want to catch the guy, right? He should be behind bars."

"Of course he should, but…I think that Gibbs is starting to lose his objectivity. He doesn't think clearly where this man is concerned. When he talked to me today it was like this whole thing happened yesterday and not months ago. And did you know that Agent McGee is here? Gibbs has him working with Abby on finding the identity of our terrorist. Abby told me that he threatened McGee even more than the usual amount." When Tony only grinned at that idea, Kate gave up trying to convince him.

She shooed Tony off her desk and started working on some old paperwork because they didn't have any hot cases. After several minutes Gibbs came back down from MTAC, where he had been talking to Bahrain, and he didn't look happy. He didn't say anything when he passed in front of them and went right over to the elevators. Kate was sure that he was going down to the lab.

* * *

At lunch time, Kate and Tony met Ducky down in the entrance hall because they always had lunch together on Tuesdays. They walked from HQ since the restaurant where they always ate wasn't far away, and it was such a nice and warm day.

They sat down on the patio and ordered their food. Kate had a tuna salad and Tony teased her for her healthy eating habits before ordering a bacon sandwich and french fries.

Kate smiled at him. "Honey, I love you, but if you have a heart attack in ten years I might say I told you so."

"You know, Tony, Caitlin is quite right," Ducky said. "I once did an autopsy on a thirty-year-old man…" And off he went on one of his endless stories that often didn't seem to have a point but still made you smile.

But today, the conversation inevitably started to turn around to Gibbs and his hunt for the terrorist. Ducky told them that he had already seen Gibbs like this – only while working on cases that had become personal for him. Ducky was convinced that Gibbs wouldn't let it go until he had caught the man.

Suddenly, Tony cried out, "That's her!" making Kate jump.

"That's who?" she asked, following his gaze. She saw a young, blond woman jogging on the other side of the street, wearing only a sports bra and very short shorts.

"The…the woman I met this morning in the park."

"So what?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Uh…nothing," Tony sighed.

Frowning at the disappointed tone in his voice, Kate decided to let it go. She didn't have any more time right now anyway, so she got up, stepped around the table and kissed Tony on the forehead. "Unfortunately, I have a video conference scheduled in half-an-hour, so I have to get back," she said. "Bye Ducky, enjoy the rest of your meal."

"Goodbye, Caitlin, dear," he said, politely standing up as she left the table.

Tony watched her go and noticed that she caused some men along the way to turn and stare after her. "Forget it, guys, she's mine," he thought fondly. Then he picked up her plate and placed it in front of him to eat the rest of her tuna salad.

* * *

With no need to hurry, Kate walked down the street, enjoying the warmth and the buzzing life of the city around her. She stopped at a red traffic light and while she was waiting, she heard a motorcycle approach and watched it come to a stop in front of the traffic light. The man riding it was wearing a red and white protection suit and a helmet. She couldn't see his face, but knew that he was looking at her. He made the engine of his bike roar a couple of times, making it dance under him like a nervous horse. Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. What a show-off!

Then he reached up to flip open the visor of his helmet and suddenly the blood froze in her veins. Those eyes! That was him! She could only see half of his face but still had no doubt that it was the terrorist, the SOB Gibbs was trying to hunt down. So it was all true; he was in the States – in Washington! – and he knew exactly where to find her if he wanted to!

Before Kate could react, the man on the motorcycle accelerated, making his tires screech, right at the moment when the walk-sign appeared on the traffic light, causing the oncoming cars to hit their brakes and honk furiously at the passing motorcycle. Without hesitation, Kate pulled her gun and ran onto the street, trying to get a clear shot, but he was already too far away. He had managed to get past the crossroads before the oncoming cars had blocked his path and now they were blocking her shot.

Kate looked around, saw a blue Mini stopped behind her and ran to its passenger door. "Federal Agent!" she shouted, pulling the door open and climbing in. "Follow that motorcycle!"

The driver was a young man with dark hair. He looked like he might be from the Middle East also. There were also two men in the back, but Kate didn't pay any attention to them while she tried not to let the motorcycle out of sight. She saw it turn right, two blocks away, and told the driver to do the same.

Suddenly, two strong arms grabbed her from behind, pushing her into the seat and pinning her own arms to her side. Before Kate could even try to break free, the other man from the back leaned forward and grabbed her right wrist, using his other hand to rip her gun out of her hand. Then he sat back and aimed her own gun at her, a smirk on his face.

"Don't move or I'll kill you," he said.

Kate obeyed, silently cursing herself. How could she have been so stupid? She had gotten into a car with three men without even wondering why two of them were riding in the back, leaving the passenger's seat empty. It had been a trap and she had walked into it blindly.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

"Shut up!" the driver shouted. "You will not talk, understood?"

Kate clenched her fists and didn't respond.

* * *

When Tony came back to the office, Agent McGee was sitting behind Gibbs' desk, working on the facial recognition of the terrorist.

"Agent McGee!" Tony exclaimed. "We've definitely seen a lot of you those past few weeks."

"I'm trying to help where I can."

Tony was just about to continue when Gibbs walked in and started giving McGee a hard time because he hadn't found anything yet. Tony almost felt sorry for him.

When Gibbs was done with McGee he turned to face Tony. "Where's Kate?" he bellowed.

"She came back here early because she had a video conference with Gitmo."

Gibbs only nodded and left towards the elevators.

Tony decided to pay Kate a visit upstairs to see how Agent Cassidy was doing. Smiling, he walked up to MTAC and quietly entered the always semi-dark room. He was surprised to find that Kate wasn't there.

The agent on duty told him that Agent Cassidy in Gitmo was standing by because Kate hadn't shown up for the scheduled conference.

"That's strange," Tony muttered. "I'll talk to Agent Cassidy instead."

He put on a headset and a huge smile.

"Hello Paula!" he greeted. "How's life in Gitmo?"

"Hi Tony. Where's Kate?"

"I don't know – which is weird. Can you tell me what she wanted to talk about?"

"She wanted to discuss the Hamas Little Creek lead I gave her a while back."

"Why didn't she simply call you for that?"

"She asked for face-to-face."

Tony frowned. It wasn't at all like Kate to schedule a video conference and then be late. And she had even left early to be on time. Where the hell was she?

"Paula, can I call you back later?" Tony asked.

"I'll be here."

Confused and starting to worry, Tony went back downstairs and sat down at his desk. He tried to call Kate on her cell phone. It rang, but she didn't pick up and he was directed to voice mail after a couple of rings. He tried three more times and finally left a message for her to call him back.

In the meantime, Gibbs had returned and was talking to McGee, giving him directions for his search.

"Found something?" Tony wanted to know.

"Yeah. Ducky thinks that our man was a medical student in Britain. That should narrow our search." Gibbs looked around. "Where's Kate?"

"I don't know. She was scheduled to have a video conference with Agent Cassidy and she left lunch early to get here, but she isn't here. I just talked to Agent Cassidy myself."

"Call her. Tell her to get here immediately."

"I already did. She doesn't answer her phone. Gibbs, I think there's something wrong. Kate wouldn't be late without calling. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Maybe she got held up somewhere," Gibbs said.

But Tony shook his head. "Gibbs, you always say that a good agent has to listen to their gut instinct. I'm telling you, there's something wrong."

Gibbs stared at him for a couple of seconds and it was impossible for Tony to read the expression on his face. Was it worry? Anger? "Go down to Abby," Gibbs finally said. "Have her trace Kate's cell."

"On it, boss!" Tony jumped up immediately, didn't bother with the elevator, and ran down the stairs three at a time.

"Hey Tony!" Abby shouted over the loud music when he entered her lab. "Hiding from Gibbs, are you? He's really not in his best mood today."

When Tony told her that Kate hadn't come back from lunch and that he was worried about her, she immediately started the search. While she was working, Tony tried Kate at home but only got their answering machine. "Where are you?" he muttered. He called her cell phone again with the same result as before.

"Got anything?" he asked Abby.

"Just a couple more seconds. Her cell is definitely switched on…almost there now…yes! I got her!"

"Where is she?"

"That's strange." Abby frowned. "She isn't in Washington anymore."

"What?" Tony exclaimed.

"She's obviously in a car, heading north."

Tony stared at the screen incredulously. What the…?

* * *

They had left the city some time ago and were going north, seemingly into nowhere. The men in the car sometimes spoke rapidly in Arabic, but most of the time there was silence.

When her cell phone started ringing, Kate jumped – so did the men. One of them, who sat behind her, started looking for it, roaming her hips and thighs in the process. He finally found it on her belt, pulled it out and gave it to the driver.

"Who's Tony?" he asked, reading the name off the screen.

A flicker of hope made Kate's heart beat faster. Tony had noticed she wasn't there; surely he would start looking for her soon! She didn't know how he was going to find her, but she trusted that he would.

Suddenly the driver lashed out, slapping her face with the back of his hand. Kate hissed, feeling something wet on her chin and a burning on her lower lip.

"Who is Tony?" the driver shouted.

"My husband," she answered. "He calls me when he leaves the office."

"Where does he work?"

"Iraq," Kate answered boldly – and got slapped a second time. This time it really hurt.

The next time the cell phone rang, they just let it ring.

After what seemed like ages to Kate, they finally reached their destination. It was a farm in the hills somewhere in Maryland, she guessed. Kate could see several cars parked outside and a couple of men near the small house. One man especially caught her eye. It was their terrorist, still wearing the red and white suit, waiting inside a red barn, where the driver now parked their car.

The man bent down to look through the window at Kate. "Caitlin, did you miss me?" he asked. When he saw her split lip, he hesitated and asked the driver something in Arabic.

"I apologize for Bassam's actions," he said then, opening the door for her and helping her out of the car. Kate immediately stepped to the side, so he would let go of her arm. She hated being touched by him!

When the driver, Bassam, undid her cuffs, Kate quickly spun around and punched him in the face with all the force she had. The man stumbled backwards, immediately shouting angrily at her. He started towards her, but the other man stepped in his way, holding him back. The terrorist sent Bassam away with a couple of stern words and turned to face Kate.

"Satisfied?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, he smacked me twice!" Kate replied coldly.

"Being slapped by a woman is twice the insult to Bassam."

Was that supposed to comfort her? She had been kidnapped, hit in the face – twice - and now she had to be satisfied with hitting that bastard only once?

"Why did Bassam strike her?" he asked one of the other men from the car.

"She wouldn't tell who was calling her cell," he replied and threw the cell phone over the car for his boss to catch.

"Tony called," the terrorist said. "Isn't that your loving husband?"

Kate froze. She had never told him the name of her husband, so he must have done research on their team. But she didn't show her surprise and acted like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. "I should call him back, you know, to tell him where I am. He always worries about me."

"Of course," he said, smiling. He took a step closer to her and lifted his right hand to her face. Kate wanted to jerk back, but she didn't do it. She wasn't going to act like she was afraid of him.

When he put his hand under her chin and lifted her face to look at her injured lip, his touch was soft. "But first some ice for your lip," he decided and led her out of the barn. Before they vanished out of sight Kate thought she saw some of the men load a missile on a truck. What on Earth were they planning?

They entered the farm house and the man made Kate sit down at a table while he went to get some ice cubes out of the fridge. He came back with the ice cubes in a bowl and a wet towel.

"What am I supposed to call you?" Kate asked, fending off his hand when he tried to dab the blood off her chin.

The man smiled. "You can call me Haswari," he said.

"Is that your real name?"

"Is that important?" He put his left hand under her chin more firmly and used the right to dab the blood off. When he was done he reached for an ice cube, but Kate took it out of his hand and used it to ice her swollen lip. She didn't want him to touch her anymore.

"You said I could call Tony," she reminded him.

"On one condition."

Of course, she thought. He wouldn't just let her call Tony and tell him where she was and who had her. "So what do you want me to say?" she asked.

"You became quite ill after lunch. You went to Emergency where it was diagnosed as food poisoning. They pumped your stomach, gave you an IV, and sent you home. You'll be fine tomorrow. You just need some sleep."

"And what if I don't say that?"

Haswari smiled and looked to his left. "Marta?" he called.

Kate jumped when she noticed that a woman was standing in the back of the room. "Marta" was blond, with blue eyes and a beautiful face. She was wearing short running shorts, a sports bra, and a pink zipper jacket. Kate realised that she had already seen this woman. She was the one Tony had pointed out earlier that afternoon, the one he had met at the park this morning. So it hadn't been a coincidence.

"Tell our guest what will happen to Agent DiNozzo if she doesn't do as she's asked."

"I will wait for him this evening when he leaves the office. I will smile at him and then I will put a bullet through his head," she said coldly, her accent marking her words.

Kate froze, thinking Marta's words over in her head, coming to the conclusion that she couldn't take the risk. It wouldn't be difficult for the young blonde to come near Tony and he wouldn't expect her to be armed. She had to do what Haswari asked. Maybe she could still give Tony a hint, show him that she wasn't telling him the truth.

* * *

"She stopped!" Abby shouted on entering the squad room.

"What?" Tony, Gibbs and McGee looked up.

"Kate – which means, her cell – stopped moving." She went around Tony's desk and typed something into his computer which made an image appear on the big screen between his and Gibbs' desks. It was a satellite image of a farm in the middle of a wooded area.

"It stopped right there," Abby said, pulling up a map to show them the exact location. "But this isn't a recent satellite image, there's no satellite in the area right now. This is just to show you what it looks like. I can't say how many people are there or what they are doing."

They all looked at the satellite image and the map. Tony was feeling anxious. What had happened to Kate? What was she doing there? He would have bet their house that she hadn't gone to that place willingly – not without letting him know. Which meant that she had been kidnapped. But why? And by whom?

He picked up his backpack. "I'm going there right now," he announced.

"Tony!" Gibbs bellowed.

"Gibbs! Kate has most likely been kidnapped. She's out there alone. She could be hurt and I'm not staying here waiting for her to call…"

He broke off abruptly when his cell phone started to ring. He looked at the screen and gasped. "It's Kate!" he exclaimed.

"Answer it," Gibbs said. "But keep in mind, there's probably someone making her call. So listen exactly to what she's saying."

"Hello? Kate?" Tony said into the phone, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Hi Tony," Kate said.

"Where are you? You missed your conference call."

"I know. But when I left the restaurant I started feeling really sick. I went to the ER and they said I had food poisoning."

"Food poisoning?"

"Yeah. I guess I should have listened to you when you said I shouldn't eat those oysters."

Tony closed his eyes for a moment when he realised she had just given him to understand that something was wrong. She hadn't eaten oysters for lunch.

"Where are you?" Tony asked, his voice shaky now.

"I'm at home now. Can you tell Gibbs I won't be coming back today, but that I'm working on the profile he's asked of me? Actually, I'm on it right now."

"Okay, I'll tell him. But maybe I should go home and take care of you. I'm sure Gibbs would understand." He was trying to act as normal as possible in case someone was listening in.

"That's sweet of you, but really not necessary. I'll just rest a bit and then be as good as new. See you later, Tony. I love you."

"I love you, too, honey. See you soon." When he heard the click on the other end of the line, telling him that she had ended the call, he sank down on his chair, nervously running his hands through his hair.

"What did she say?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"She said she got food poisoning from the oysters she ate. But she didn't have oysters for lunch; she had a tuna salad."

"So she gave you a clue that something was wrong," Abby said, her voice sounding higher than usual. Tony could tell how scared she was.

"Yes, and she also asked me to tell you something, Gibbs. She said she was working on the profile you asked her about. She said she was on it right now. Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means."

"What?" Abby asked, confused.

Tony could see the expression on Gibbs' face harden and his heart fell.

"_HE_ has her!" Gibbs spat, furiously.

"Who has her?" Abby asked.

"Him!" Gibbs pointed at the computer screen showing the face of the terrorist. "Tony, grab your gear; we're going after them."

"Yes!" Tony had been waiting for him to say just that.

"McGee, the moment you find something, you let me know, understood?" Gibbs shouted back over his shoulder.

"Understood!"

They didn't even make it out of the parking lot before McGee called Gibbs on his cell. Gibbs put the phone on speaker.

"Gibbs, I found him. I found a match!" McGee exclaimed. "His name is Dr. Ari Haswari. He graduated from Edinburgh Medical College in '94."

"What's with his name?" Gibbs wondered. "Ari is Israeli, Haswari is Arab. McGee, find someone who knew him at school and call me back."

"On it, boss."

"So we finally have a name," Tony said. "Now let's find that Haswari bastard as soon as possible. I need to teach him a lesson about staying the hell away from my wife."

It might have been the first time in three years that Tony was actually happy about Gibbs' way of driving. It definitely was the fastest way to get to Kate. All the while Tony was thinking about what Haswari might want from her. When he couldn't find a logic explanation, his mind came up with all kinds of scenarios; like the terrorist being obsessed with Kate and wanting her for himself, or him wanting to kill her for something she might have discovered. But Tony also tried to reason with himself that Kate wasn't in any immediate danger. If Haswari wanted to kill her, he could have done so in Washington, he didn't need to kidnap her and take her to his secret hideout. He had talked to Kate ten minutes ago and she sounded okay. But what if Haswari wanted information from her then would kill her the moment she gave it up? What if he killed her because she didn't give it up?

"I'm going to go crazy," Tony muttered to himself.

"Don't worry," Gibbs said. "She's going to be okay."

McGee called again right after they'd left D.C. "I spoke to a Dr. Martin Sedwick. He and Haswari were postgraduate research assistants at the same medical center. He described Haswari as brilliant and always surrounded by beautiful women. He also said that he only answered to Haswari, never to Ari. And I think I know why. His father was Dr. Benjamin Weinstein, his mother Dr. Hosmiya Haswari. They worked in Jerusalem Hospital and never got married."

"Seems like he didn't like his Jewish Daddy," Tony said.

"Haswari worked with his mother at a Gaza Strip clinic until she died for years ago," McGee continued.

"And then he went from doctor to terrorist," Gibbs concluded. "That's good work, McGee. Call me if you find out anything else."

* * *

Haswari, Marta, and Kate were sitting at a picnic table under a tree near the red barn. Marta was sitting on the table reading a magazine. Haswari opened some nuts with a nutcracker before offering Kate a glass of Chardonnay. She told him no.

Kate was watching the men who were walking in and out of the barn, loading something onto a truck, while Haswari was still trying to convince her to taste the wine.

"Perhaps if you thought of this as a weekend house party...with you as the honoured guest."

"And you the charming host?" Kate asked sarcastically.

"Oh, many women find me charming," Haswari replied, smiling his unwavering smile.

"You must pay them well," Kate said, making Marta laugh.

At that moment Haswari's phone beeped and they heard a voice say "We're leaving. Do you know?"

Haswari picked up the phone and spoke in Arabic.

"Do you know what?" Kate asked. What was he supposed to find out? And from whom? Her? "Is this why I'm here?" she wanted to know.

Haswari ignored her question. Instead he placed three nutshells on the table and hid a pea under one of them. "Where is the pea?" he asked her and swiftly moved the shells around on the table. "You tell me where the pea is, Caitlin, and I will answer your question."

He couldn't be serious, right? But what could it hurt to tell him where the damn pea was? She pointed at one of the shells, Haswari lifted it up and they all could see the pea hiding underneath it.

"Lucky guess," Marta commented.

"Was it, Caitlin?"

"No, now answer my question." Kate didn't have an ounce of patience left in her. She wanted to know why she was here and she wanted to know what plans he had with her. The constant hint of a smirk on Haswari's lips was making her sick.

"Once more," Haswari said. "To convince Marta that it wasn't luck."

He moved the nutshells around, Kate pointed at one of them and was correct again.

Haswari seemed very happy, but Kate had had enough. "Why am I here?" she asked firmly.

"To teach me this trick," he replied. "I'm serious." And once more he moved the nutshells, and once more Kate showed him where the pea was.

"Amazing. How did they teach you to be so observant?"

"Who?" Kate asked warily.

"The Secret Service."

And suddenly it all became clear to her. Her being a former Secret Service Agent, the three nutshells, Haswari's interest in the game. The missiles. Three nutshells, three helicopters. Of course!

"The president is flying to Camp David with Sharon today. I saw those missiles! You want to know which helo is Marine One to shoot it down."

"Those are mere training aids. I have no intention of shooting down Marine One."

"You're a lying bastard!" Kate spat, making Marta laugh again.

"There's no way to tell them apart," Kate said, casting a quick glance at Marta. "And if there were, I wouldn't tell you!"

"Even if it meant your life?" Marta asked, lifting Kate's gun.

"Marta, give me the gun," Haswari said.

"We're wasting time!" she shouted at him.

"The gun, Marta, please," he repeated with more force.

Kate was watching them tensely. She wasn't sure which of them would get the upper hand in this.

"If killing is to be done, I will do it," Haswari said to Marta.

Great, Kate thought. Now they're fighting over who gets to shoot me. She wished she'd stayed in bed this morning.

Finally Marta gave in and handed the gun to Haswari. Kate wasn't relieved.

"I believe you, Kate," he said. "Relax, have a glass of wine. I don't like to drink alone."

"Haswari, what…?" Marta shouted.

"Caitlin is telling the truth. There is no way to identify Marine One from the others."

"You told me there was." Marta seemed completely out of it. Kate didn't understand what was going on. Why was Haswari staying so calm?

"I lied," he said simply.

At his words, Marta immediately reached for the cell phone on the table, but Haswari pushed her back and suddenly he lifted his gun. Kate stared at the weapon, not sure if it was going to be the last thing she'd ever see. _Tony, where are you?

* * *

_

Tony and Gibbs drove as close to the farm as they thought safe; then Gibbs parked the car on a very narrow dirt road that led off the main road deeper into the woods. There it would be out of sight.

Gibbs opened the trunk and took out a flat, but obviously, heavy box. When he opened it, Tony saw that there was a very large rifle inside. A sniper rifle. Gibbs shouldered it and put some extra ammunition in his backpack. Then he checked his Sig in its holster and nodded.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Let's go, boss."

Tony let Gibbs lead the way, trusting him completely on this mission. They marched through the dense forest at a remarkable speed, Tony doing his best to keep up.

It didn't take them long to reach the farm. They stayed within the trees, looking over the green meadow scattered with trees stretching out in front of them. Behind it they saw the farmhouse with a barn to its left. Gibbs lifted a hand and pointed to the left. He wanted them to move around the house, bringing them between the house and the barn. Together they started walking in a wide circle, not leaving the forest yet.

They couldn't see anyone at first. The farm seemed empty. But when they'd reached the side of the farmhouse and could finally see past it, they spotted a couple of large trees with a picnic table underneath, right in front of the barn. There were some people sitting at that table, maybe eighty yards away from Gibbs and Tony.

Tony lifted his binoculars to his eyes and looked over at the trees. "That's definitely Kate," he whispered, almost inaudibly, his heart beating faster. She seemed to be okay. "And there's Ari. And another woman." He hesitated. That couldn't be… "Oh my god!" he gasped. The Swedish woman from the park! What was she doing here?

Tony pushed this question to the back of his mind because he had to concentrate right now. He tried to analyze the scene he saw: Kate and Ari were facing each other. Ari was moving something around on the table while Kate was watching him. The Swedish woman was sitting on the table next to Kate, reading a magazine.

Kate pointed at the table and Ari lifted something up. After that they started talking agitatedly. Tony saw Kate shake her head.

Suddenly the Swedish woman lifted a gun, obviously threatening Kate. Tony's heart seemed to stop for a moment. He was about to cry out, draw the woman's attention away from Kate, when Ari reached out a hand to the blonde. The two of them stared at each other for endless seconds without moving. Then the Swede gave him the gun.

"Gibbs, he has a gun now," Tony whispered.

"I know," Gibbs whispered back. He was lying on the ground on his stomach, his rifle resting in front of him on two thin, metal legs. He was watching the scene through the scope of his rifle. Tony wished he'd just shoot and kill Haswari to save Kate. He was going crazy waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly the Swedish woman shouted something, causing a great commotion at the table. Scared out of his mind, Tony watched Ari lift the gun, point it, and pull the trigger. Gibbs pulled the trigger at exactly the same moment. The Swedish woman fell to the ground, shot in the head by Ari. Then there was a fountain of blood spraying over the table and Ari fell sidewards off the bench.

Kate jumped to her feet, looking around in confusion. She had no idea what had just happened. Ari had shot Marta, but who the hell had killed Ari? She went around the table and bent over the dead bodies, making sure they really were dead. There wasn't much doubt anyway - they had both been shot in the head.

When she heard someone call her name from behind the barn, she looked up.

"Tony?" she shouted, jumping to her feet. Relief washed over her when she saw Tony and Gibbs running towards her. She wanted to tell them to call the Secret Service and inform them that the president was in danger, but Tony reached her before she could say anything and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"We need to call the Secret Service," she said. "They're trying to shoot down Marine One!"

"What?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"What?" Gibbs repeated, already reaching for his cell phone and starting to dial.

Kate sighed in relief. Now the Secret Service could change the route the helicopters were flying and the president was out of danger. This problem solved, Kate relaxed in Tony's arms, finally able to let go. It was over. Haswari was dead and the attack on the president wouldn't take place. The question why he had shot Marta and not her remained unanswered, but she really didn't care at the moment.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked, lifting her face up and carefully touching her bruised lip with his thumb.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kate said, still holding on to him. "How did you find me?"

"We traced your cell when you didn't show up for your conference call and didn't answer your phone. I knew that something was wrong. And I deciphered what you were trying to tell me on the phone. Very clever."

"That woman" - Kate pointed over to where the two bodies were lying - "threatened to kill you if I tried something."

"She was a terrorist too?" Tony asked, incredulous.

"Oh yes!" Kate laughed humorlessly and looked up at Tony. "I should have known there was something wrong when you told me how you'd met her," she teased. "Why would a beautiful woman just randomly chat you up in the park? It just makes no sense at all."

"Hey, don't you forget that I saved your butt today," Tony said, poking her in the ribs. "Don't make me regret it." But then he tightened his arms around her, showing her how glad he was to have her back.

This day could have ended a lot worse and only to think about what could have happened made Tony feel sick to his stomach. But unlike the first time Ari had taken Kate, today, Tony had gotten his revenge. Ari Haswari was dead and he would never come close to Kate again.

* * *

When they arrived back at HQ, it was late at night. Tony and Kate wanted to head home right away, but when Gibbs got a phone call from the director, they decided to stay to find out what was happening.

In the squad room they met Abby and McGee, who had been waiting for them. Abby pulled Kate and Tony into a huge hug and immediately started asking them all kinds of detailed questions. She also told them that Mossad had called about an hour ago to talk to the director. This kind of news spread fast in the office.

"Mossad?" Tony wondered. "This morning they didn't want anything to do with our terrorist."

"Do you think this has something to do with why the director wanted to talk to Gibbs?" Kate asked, sitting down behind her desk and propping her elbows up on it. She was tired – exhausted, really. She wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

"Hey," Tony said gently, crouching down beside her. "Hang in there, I'll take you home soon."

Kate nodded, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Tony's. "I think I'll take a couple of days off," she whispered. "I feel like I could sleep for an entire week."

"I could also use a small vacation," Tony said. "What do you say? You, me, spending some time together, just the two of us?"

"Sounds great," Kate sighed.

Tony kissed her carefully on the lips. "Does that hurt?" he asked.

"No." She smiled at him.

"What about this?" He leaned in and kissed her again, longer this time.

"Mhm…little bit."

Tony kissed her cheeks and the tip of her nose before pulling her into a tight hug.

It took ages until Gibbs came back into the squad room. When he finally did, he leaned onto his desk and looked at the members of his team, one after the other, while they were anxiously waiting for him to say something.

"Mossad now claims that Ari Haswari was one of their agents," Gibbs started. "They say he was an undercover agent inside the Hamas. They are not happy that he's dead."

"He was Mossad?" Kate exclaimed. Ari Haswari, one of the good guys? It was as if the world was suddenly spinning in the wrong direction.

"Are you in trouble now?" Tony wanted to know.

Gibbs shook his head. "He had a weapon, I thought he was trying to shoot Kate. What I did was justified and the director is standing behind me."

Kate stared at Tony. Did this mean she had never been in any real danger around Haswari? Did it mean that the hard time she had gone through after he had taken her hostage the first time hadn't been justified at all? No, Kate just couldn't wrap her mind around that idea. And she couldn't pretend she wasn't glad he was dead and gone from her life forever.

After their talk to Gibbs, Kate and Tony didn't stay much longer. They didn't even need to ask Gibbs if they could take the next couple of days off because he suggested it to them. He only wanted them to come back the next day to write their reports while their memories were still fresh.

Even though they had come to work separately, they rode home together in Tony's car. Kate dozed off a couple of times, which made the ride home a lot shorter for her. Finally there, Tony helped her out of the car and put an arm around her to help lead her inside.

While Kate was showering, Tony sat on their bed, thinking. He remembered how scared he'd been a few months ago when Ari Haswari had entered their lives for the first time. He had felt useless because he hadn't been able to help Kate and powerless because he didn't know what to do to save her from experiences like this in the future. Now he knew that Ari hadn't really posed a threat to Kate, but did it really make a difference? It didn't change how he had felt back then. He guessed it was hard for every man when they felt they couldn't protect their wives. Maybe it was even harder for him because they were working in a dangerous job.

But being a federal agent was part of what made up Kate's personality. And even though it was dangerous, he couldn't imagine their life any differently. They were watching out for each other, keeping each other safe.

He looked up when Kate entered, wearing pajamas and her hair slightly wet. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

Tony smiled at her. "Come here a second," he said.

Kate sat down next to him and he placed his hands on either side of her face, taking a moment to study her. She looked relaxed and calm, her split lip the only visible sign of the trauma she'd gone through today. Slowly he pulled her to him and carefully brushed his lips over hers. Kate's arms went around him to hold him close, her hands drawing small circles on his back. At first, Tony's kiss was very hesitant because he didn't want to hurt her, but when she teasingly licked his lips, he threw most of his hesitation over board and kissed her more passionately.

When they broke apart, Kate's hands moved up to Tony's shoulders and she rested her forehead against his. "It's good to be home," she whispered.

Tony ran his fingers over her hair, pressing a small kiss to her cheek.

"I've been thinking about what we learned before, about Haswari being Mossad," Kate said quietly. "I don't really know what to make of it. Ever since I met him for the first time, he's been there in the back of my head, like this silent threat, taunting me because we didn't catch him. Thinking back now it's like I've been waiting for something to happen all this time – as if someone had pressed the pause button on my life. Isn't that stupid?"

"I don't think that's stupid. You needed closure – just like Gibbs. And like me."

"You too?"

Tony nodded, dropping his hands to his side, but soon using his right to draw small circles on Kate's thigh. "Can you imagine how angry I was when Ari got away the first time? I swore to myself that I would never let him get away with hurting you again. And today I saw Gibbs put a bullet in his head."

"But what if he really was Mossad?"

"That doesn't make a difference to me. What he made you go through was real for you and for me – I don't care if he was Mossad. I wouldn't even have cared if he had been one of our guys. I hated him and I'm glad he's gone. And after all, we don't know what was really going on in his head. Maybe he was a mole for Mossad; he could have just as well changed sides."

"You may be right. Or maybe he was fooling both sides and the only one he was working for was himself. I think that Ari Haswari was a dangerous man. God knows what crimes he might have committed in the future."

Tony nodded, keeping his gaze locked on her face. Kate smiled at him, lifted a hand and ran her fingertips over his cheek, then through his hair. "I'm glad that things can go back to normal now," she said.

Tony frowned. "When have things ever been normal for us?" he asked, making her chuckle.

He was right. Since the day they'd met, they had never been what one would consider a normal couple. Kate used to be with the Secret Service, first protecting the vice-president, then the president himself while Tony was hunting criminals. Two people for whom carrying a gun was a job requirement. They had learned quickly that they depended on each other if they wanted to have something in their life that was far from the threats and madness of the world. They had always managed to provide this security for each other. Even while on the same team they still knew that they could come home and just be Kate and Tony, leaving Special Agents Todd and DiNozzo behind on the doorstep.

Ari Haswari had managed to follow them home, not leaving their minds even in their sleep, damaging the bubble they had created around themselves. But today they had defeated him, proving that as long as they watched out for each other, no one could harm them.

"You really had my back today," Kate said, earning a sincere smile from Tony. "I wasn't sure if you'd get suspicious when I didn't come back after lunch. But you had me covered right from the beginning."

"You'd have done exactly the same thing for me."

Kate nodded, smiling back at him. They had each other's backs, always had and always will have them. It was what made Kate and Tony function so well together; to know there wasn't anything life could put in their path that they couldn't face, no matter if it concerned their jobs or the challenge of building a family together in the future.

Tony pulled her to him and kissed her again before wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. Memories of past experiences were dancing around in his head. The first time they'd kissed, on a sidewalk late at night. The first time he'd made her cry. The first time they said 'I love you'. The first time he realised he couldn't live without her when she had been injured protecting the vice-president. He remembered Kate entering the church in her wedding dress. The first night they had spent in this house.

There had already been a lot of first times between them and no doubt there were a lot more to come. They were ready for them because after today, nothing stood in their way anymore.


End file.
